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60 YEARS 



ON THE 



UPPEK MISSISSIPPI 



My L(ife and Experiences, 



»\ . 



BY 



S. W. McMASTEB, 



ROCK ISLAND, - - - ILLINOIS. 



1893. 



■" r\5 



.m 



INDEX. 



My Life and Emigration to Galena, - " i 

Early Impressions of the Lead Mines and Sketches - 13 

Two Years in St. Louis from 1834 to 1836, - - - 24 

John W. Spencer's Sketches of Early Days in Rock Island 30 

Sketches of some Early Settlers near Rock Island, - 48 

Rock Island from 1836 to 1841, ----- 58 

Completion of the C. & R. I. R. R. to Rock Island - 97 

The Financial Panic of 1857, —._.-_-._ IOI 

The Removal from Rock Island to Galena in 1841, - 104 

Sketches of some Leading Galena Men in Early Days, 108 

Mormonism in Illinois, -119 

Early Settlement of Towns along the River, - - 131 

Noted Galena Men from 1840 to 1850, - 139 

E^B. Washburn and C. S. Hempstead, - - - 141 

Adventure with Indians on the Upper Mississippi, 148 

Sketches of Prominent Men of St. Paul and Minneapolis, 155 

Galena and Vicinity from 1850 to i860, - - - 168 

Steamboating on the Upper Missisippi, - - - 185 

Breaking out of the Rebellion. Incidents in Galena, 192 

Noted Leadirg Men of Gale;aa, *'•-; ; ■■*• - - - 202 

Galena in 1850,, , ; ,, ; -*« • 'I • - - - 205 

My Sojourn in St. Louis building Grain Elevators, - 207 

The Return fxom GaJedafG Reck Iil-anrKin 1866, J 215 

Steamers on the Upper Miss'sp'ippi up *,i;o,'i874, - - 241 

Harvest Hands Take Possession of a Steamboat, - 243 

The R. I. & St. P. R. R. It's Origin and Progress, - 245 
The Theological Department to Educate Young Men 

for the Ministry, 252 

A Short Notice of Early Settlers in Rock Island County, 263 

The Old Canal and the Hennepin, - 268 

My Old Galena Home for a Quarter of a Century, - 273 

Geology of Rock Island County, ... - 277 

The Death of the Great Hungarian Patriot, - - - 280 

Moral Extracts from Various Authors, ... 2 8^ 

Newspapers of Rock Island, - 287 

Early Days in Southern Wisconsin. Sketches of some 

of the Early Pioneers, 290 



THE PRINTER'S INTRODUCTION. 



Probably no man living is better qualified by 
experience and observation to write upon the 
early times on the Upper Mississippi than S. W. 
McMaster, the author of this book. While the 
work is titled "Sixty Years on the Upper Missis- 
sippi," the author has lived in this vicinity for 
more than sixty-two years, and now, at the age of 
84 years, and in the possession of all his faculties, 
is enjoying the fruits of a well spent life at his 
pleasant home in Rock Island, Illinois. Engaged 
quite extensively in business in Galena for a 
quarter of a century, living also at different per- 
iods in St. Louis and Rock Island, and being a 
close observer of men and events, he enjoyed rare 
opportunities to become familiar withthe leading 
events of the times, and his active mind allowed 
none of these opportunities to pass unemployed. 
While in business in Galena, he traded quite ex- 
tensivelv with merchants in St. Paul and at other 



points on the Upper Mississippi, and made many 
extended tours through Wisconsin, Minnesota 
and the states bordering on the river. 

He enjoyed a personal acquaintance with nearly 
all the river captains, leading business men, 
statesmen and politicians, from St. Louis to St. 
Paul. A concise history of these eventful years 
on the Upper Mississippi, he entertainingly nar- 
rates in this volume. 

J. B. Brown. 
Galena, 111., Nov. 30, 1895. 



My Early Life and Emigration to Galena 

I was born near Watertown, in the State of 
New York, on Oct. the 8th, 1811. My father 
moved from there to Herkima county about 25 
miles north from Little Falls, on the Mohawk 
river, in 1817, living some two years on my 
grandfather's farm which abutted on the west on 
the Trenton Falls a celebrated place of resort, a 
few years later, noted for its wild beautiful scen- 
ery and for a succession of falls some three of 
them, 20, 40 and 70 feet, cut through the solid 
Trenton lime stone, a narrow gorge two miles in 
length. It was first brought into notice by W. 
R. Sherman, who erected in 1822 a large com- 
modious hotel in the deep shady pine grove. In 
1819 my father settled on what was called the 
Elm Flats in the town of Russia, Herkima county, 
the county was bounded on the north by the 
Adirondack. 

My earliest recollections center around a log 
house built of hewn spruce logs taken from a dense 
forest of spruce and fur trees, lying on the west 
side of the house, a heavy forest of Elm, Sugar 
Maple and Beech trees covering the whole farm of 
120 acres; a small garden spot hewn out from 
the timber; a spring bubbling up through the 
pure white sand at the foot of a huge elm tree 
running away a short distance and forming a 
little lakelet full of speckled trout, I did not 



commence going to school until I was nearly 
eight years old. My father who was an educated 
man, teaching me at home whenever he could find 
time to spare from his ordinary labors in hewing 
out a farm from the heavy woods. 

Whatever education I received outside of the in- 
struction I received from my father, I acquired 
at the little log school house under the hill, two 
miles from my home. After 1 was 12 years old 
I stayed at home in the summer and fall helping 
my father on the farm, attending school only 
three months in the winter, and such winters as 
Ave then had — the snow usually three to four feet 
deep often covering the fences all out of sight. 
The school house was made out of rough logs, the 
spaces between being stopped with mortar made 
from clay- The seats were made from pine slabs, 
the rounded side down, supported with stout oak 
pins. The writing desk was a rough long one r 
occupying the whole rear of the house. 

The wood for fuel was furnished by the par- 
ents of the pupils; was usually green and burned 
in a wide open fire place. The children near 
the front when the fire was fairly started roasting, 
and those in the rear nearly freezing, seats had 
to be exchanged often. Spelling, reading, writ- 
ing, grammar and arithmetic were taught, with 
these surroundings and appliances and under all 
these difficultes I succeeded in obtaining a fair 
knowledge of the branches taught. 



3 

When I was in my nineteenth year the trustees 
of my home district called on me to take the 
place of a teacher who they had to discharge. It 
was a rather difficult position to fill, but I suc- 
ceeded fairly well considering my pupils 
many of whom were older then myself and had 
been my schoolmates of the winter before. My 
compensation for the three months teaching was 
twenty dollars per month, and I boarded at 
home. 

• I taught two winters more in my immediate 
neighborhood, getting a somewhat better compen- 
sation as I boarded round with some of the best 
families, who did not mind if I overstaid my 
time a week or so. I boarded two weeks or more 
with William Ferris, the grandfather of George 
W. Ferris of the famous Ferris wheel the admir- 
ation of all who visited the world's fair. His 
father and his father's sister wore both pupils of 
mine. His father lives in Idaho. A few years 
ago I gave one of our bright teachers an open let- 
ter of introduction, she had been written to about 
a situation out there. She found my pupil of 
olden time to be one of the trustees of the school 
she expected to take. She was well received and 
in a year or two married a very worthy gentle- 
men. They are now both living at Tacornah, 
Washington. Her husband is a prosperous mer- 
chant. The grandfather Wm. Ferris, Professor 
Gale and a Dr. Coons and some others came out 



to Galesburg and founded that town and the col- 
lege in 1839. I met Mr. Ferris a number of times 
in early days at Rock Island and also at Galena, 
entering land there. Mr. Burchard, who in after 
years at the political gathering in New York dur- 
ing the contest between Jas. G. Blaine andGrover 
Cleveland used those fateful words in a speech 
that he made at that meeting, "Rum, Romanism 
and Rebellion," which no doubt decided the elec- 
tion in favor of Cleveland, by changing thousands 
of Irish Catholic votes in New York. This man 
who was then 18 years of age, taught school in an 
adjoining district. We often visited each other, 
and met when our schools came together for 
spelling contests. He was ji genial bright young 
man, very religious, often holding prayer meet- 
ings with his pupils after school hours. The 
grandfather of Guiteau the assassin of lamented 
Garfield, lived only a few miles west of me in the 
adjoining county of Oneida. He was somewhat 
celebrated as a physician. 

In the winter of 1832-33 while boarding at the 
house of Daniel Philleo, I met Dr. Addeson 
Philleo, who had been residing in Galena for some 
years and established the first newspaper at that 
place. He gave us such a glowing description of 
this far away Western country, and particularly 
of the lead mine district, that I made up my mind 
to start for that New Eldorado of the West in the 
spring. My very good friend Dr. Bowen was al- 



ways urging to "go west young man." The doc- 
tor a few years latter settled first at Jolliette and 
afterwards at Marsalles, in Illinois. 

After I closed ray school I made all ray ar- 
rangements to start the first of May. I had a good 
strong suit of home-made clothes, the wool made 
from fleeces of sheep raised on the farm. The 
cloth spun and wove by my good mother. My 
small outfit was packed in a wooden trunk, which 
I have yet, and after settling up everything, I 
had thirty-five dollars left for my journey to the 
Western worlds. My wanderings before this had 
never extended farther than Utica, fifteen miles 
away. I took cabin passage on a canal boat at 
Herkimer on the Mohawk river for Buffalo and 
thence across the lake to Cleveland, Ohio; an- 
other canal ride from Cleveland to Portsmouth 
on the Ohio river. I took passage on an Ohio 
river steam boat bound for St. Louis. One 
night I was awakened, hearing a wild strange 
sort of music made by the negro firemen; 
being the first I ever heard, it made a strong im- 
pression on me. 

From St. Louis I took passage to Quincy, the 
termination of the boat's trip. Here, running out 
of funds I stopped for two weeks, and was employ- 
ed by the landlord of the only hotel in the place. 
It faced the large public square around which 
was gathered the most of the population of the 
place, the houses all facing the square then as 



now. From here I took passage on the steamer 
Warrior, Wm. Thockmorton commander, for Ga- 
lena. He was perhaps the most noted Capt. on 
the upper river, commanding a number of dif- 
ferent boats for over forty years. His last service 
was on the U. 8. steamer in 1873, he died soon 
after this date. 

I arived at Galena towards the last of June. 
I had letters of introduction from my friend Dr. 
Bowen to his brother, Luther H. Boweu, and Dr. 
Philleo Luther H. Bowen was employed as a 
bookkeeper in the largest mercantile store in the 
little city. They were doing a large and exten- 
sive business and employed some four or five 
clerks. He obtained for me temporary employ- 
ment with the firm of Little & Wann. They 
came to Galena in 1828, from Baltimore, Md. 
Their store occupied the present site of the bank 
af Galena founded by the Corwith brothers, 
Henry ami Nathan. They both moved to Chi- 
cago many years ago taking a leading part in the 
commercial and financial affairs of that city. 
They were both warm friends of mine during all 
my long sojourn in Galena and have gone to a bet- 
ter and brighter state of existence. The first night 
after my arrival at Galena 1 lodged with my friend 
Bowen in the upper story of the store, which 
opened out on Bench street, some 20 ft. or more 
above Main street. Opposite on Bench street was 
the land office. All through the night I heard 



the chink of coin in a room adjoining the office. 

Gambling was carried on there almost every 
night, the officers of the office participating in 
the game. The receiver usually taking a hand 
in the game. The result was a heavy defalcation 
at the end of his term of office. I was employed 
a few weeks by Little & Wann. when I was en- 
gaged as a elerk in the house of Campbell and 
Morehouse, a new firm just starting in the dry 
goods trade. Geo. YV. Campbell of this firm was a 
good friend of mine, who moved to Chicago many 
years ago and died their in 1882. D. B. 
Morehouse in after years had command of a num- 
ber of steam boats engaged in the trade of the 
upper Mississippi. 

Everything was new and strange to me. The 
picturesque hills, the many small stores scattered 
along the muddy Main street— the many dwellings 
perched along the base of the steep bluffs that 
hemmed in the little busy town— the little sluggish 
winding river — the many mounds rearing their 
rugged summits some 150 feet above the general 
level of the country. The long string of heavily 
laden ox team-; winding their way down Frank- 
lin an 1 Miin streets loa.le 1 with piglead, deposit- 
ed on the steep narrow levee, sent in from various 
furnaces of the country. The loud cracking (like 
pistol shotsi of the teamster's long whips over I he 
]>a -ks of their team of 5 to 7 yoke of oxen, as they 
slowly made their *vav down Franklin street. 



All these new strange scenes impressed me, a 
tender-foot strangely. 

I found all the people with whom I came in 
contact, very nice and hospitable, ready to lend a 
helping hand to a stranger. 

Among the many friends and associates of that 
early day T would mention George and B. H. 
Campbell, L. H. Bowen, Win. A. Jordon, John 
Dean, Fred Stahl, R. W. Brush, Augustus Scott,. 
a brother of Mrs. B. H. Campbell, Charles and 
Edward Gratiot, Charles and William Hemp- 
stead and John A. Clark, a government surveyor, 
who many years after, under Gen. Grant's ad- 
ministration wasappointed surveyor Gen .of Utah, 
and last but not least my old time friend, Gen. G. W. 
Jones, who at this time lived at Sinsinawa Mound 
engaged in mining. I often went out to his 
hospitable and pleasant home to see his neices, 
Mary and Eliza Brady. Mary married Dr. 
Wyeth, and Eliza, G. W. Campbell a few years 
after. Gen. Jones is the only one of all the 
many whom I knew in those early days, who still 
survives. He is living in Dubuque, at the ad- 
vanced age of 89 years, still genial and affable as 
ever. 

The only church we had at that time was a 
hewn log structure standing a little west of the 
present site of the Second Presbyterian church, 
Father Kent officiated as minister. One day a 
number of us young men just before church time 



were sitting in a row on a long bench in the 
church, with friend Fred Stahl at the head, when 
he casting his eye down the row remarked, "where 
can you find a finer looking set of young men. 
Among them wereSam'l T. duff, W. A. Jordon, 
B. H. Campbell, Joseph Dean, I. P. Farley, 
Augustus Scott and myself, and some others whose 
names I do not recollect. 

Wm. 8. Hamilton a sou of Alexander Hamil- 
ton, secretary ol the treasury under Washington, 
who lived at what was then called Hamilton 
diggings in Wisconsin, about 25 miles northeast 
from Galena, frequently came into town and 
usually would find lodging in a room over Little 
& Wann's store. He usually came to town in a 
suit of buckskin, and whenever he wanted to visit 
the ladies he would forage in the wardrobe of the 
clerks in the store for whatever he wanted. One 
night he came in rather late and found George 
Mitchell, a new clerk, a gentlemanly young Irish- 
man in the bed that he usually occupied. George 
rather resented the intrusion, and said, who are 
you sir? Hamilton answered, I am Col. William 
S. Hamilton, a son of Alexander Hamilton, and 
now who the h 1 are you ? I am George Mit- 
chell, of Baltimore, and I think you are making 
yourself d — d familiar for a stranger. They 
passed the night peaceably and were fast friends 
ever after. Sometime in 1834 I went out to the 
Col.'s place of abode on business for my employ- 



10 

ers. Some fifteen miles was over a broad rolling 
beautiful prairie, without any settlement, and we 
had only a dim track most of the way. I saw on 
my way a number of deer bounding away over 
the prairie. This was the first large prairie that 
] had seen, being in June it was covered with 
masses of bright flowers, I enjoyed the ride inten- 
sley. 

I arrived at the Col. J s house near night and 
took lodging with him on a bunk in his bachelor 
quarters. In the morning I rose early and went 
out a short distance into the heavy woods to a 
large spring. I found at the spring two beautiful 
young ladies performing their morning ablutions. 
I was astonished at this unexpected vision of 
beauty in the Wisconsin wilds, taken aback and 
felt like beating a retreat. Upon inquiring of them 
who they were, they told me they were the neices 
of William Strawbridge, and that theirhome was 
in Springfield, 111., and they were visiting at the 
home of Joseph Baily, who lived near by. 

William Strawbridge was a well-to-do miner 
and smelter, a relation of my wife. He after this 
married the widow of George Eames the brother 
of my wife's mother, Mrs. W . Brooks. George 
Eames was killed in the Black Hawk War while 
helping to defend the Block house near Elizabeth, 
15 miles east of Galena. 

William Strawbridge took the gold fever and 
with hundreds of other Galenaians went to Cali- 



11 

fornia in 1850, and died on his way home in 1853. 

Col. Hamilton becoming somewhat embarrass- 
ed in his mining operations also went to Califor- 
nia, and died there in about 1856. His aged 
mother visited him at Galena sometime in the 
40s. and I then saw her. One more reminsicenee 
about the genial Colonel. He was a volunteer in 
the Black Hawk War. and was in command of 
a regiment. Some disagreement arose between 
him and Maj. Henry Dodge. (lie was not a gen- 
eral then.) lint was called so by Dr. Philleo, who 
was on his staff' as a correspondent tor his Galena 
paper. Some angry words were passed between 
theim-and Dodge handed a pistol to Hamilton 
and told him to defend himself. Col. Hamilton 
says to him "my country needs my services now, 
but as soon as the war is over I will be at your 
service." Xo hostile meeting ever took place be- 
tween them, and they were good friends ever after. 

The reputation that Governor Dodge acquired 
in the Black Hawk War. was largely due to the let- 
ters that Dr. Philleo sent to his paper, the Galenian. 
This was the only newspaper north of St. Louis 
or east of Detroit, and these articles were largely 
copied by Eastern papers. He was a brave honest 
man, ami filled the office of territory government 
very creditably. The appointment to this office 
was due mainly t<> the influence of his warm 
friend. G. W. Jones, who was territorial delegate 
under the Jackson administration, and when the 



12 

old general requested him to name asuitable man 
for the office, who was a resident, he named Henry 
Dodge. Governor Dodge was at sometime after 
this often spoken of as a candidate of the Demo- 
crats for the presidency. I knew his son, Augus- 
tus C, at this time and later as senator from Iowa, 
and minister to Spain. I also knew and often 
met some of his sons-in-law, John Dement, Mires 
F. Truett and Paschal Bequett, all prominent 
men of mark and influence. Mires F. 
Truett was a leading merchant in Galena for a 
number of years. About 1850 he emigrated to 
California. During the troublous times in San- 
Francisco, caused by the thugs and outlaws gath- 
ered there, he took a leading part in forming the 
vigilants and many of these meetings were held 
over his store, and some of the miscreants were 
hung from a beam ran out from the upper story. 
He was so prominent that Mat Mahoney, one of 
the gamblers, who was driven out of the city, a 
few years after when Truett was in New York 
had him arrested and gave him a good deal of 
trouble. Mat had a good deal of influence as he 
belonged to the Tamany Ring, who have always 
abetted and shielded this class of Harpies, big or 
little. Big like Twede, and little like Mat Ma- 
honey. 

( This ends record of my two years at Galena in 1833 
and 1834, void.) 



13 
Early Impressions of the Lead Mines and Sketches. 

Jo Daviess county in 1833 included a number 
of counties in the northwest part of the state, and 
Galena was the commercial centerof all the north- 
ern part of the state at this time, and for many 
years afterwards. Chicago was only just coming 
into notice. It was the only place where money 
that is real money — gold and silver could be ob- 
tained. No other currency would pass in the 
lead mining district for many years after. 

In the spring as soon as the grass was good, 
heavy ox teams hitched to what was called 
a prairie schooner, heavy covered Pennsylvania 
wagons would be seen wending their way across 
the broad prairies that were found between San- 
gamon and Jo Daviess counties, bound for Galena 
the Eldorado of the northwest. They would usu- 
ally be loaded with flour and bacon for their own 
use during the summer and a portion would be 
sold at Galena. They usually hauled the lead 
from the furnaces scattered over the country by 
the 1,000 lbs., carrying often as high as 60,000 
fbs. Their large wagons was their home while 
here, the only home they had, sleeping in them 
at night, and usually taking their meals camp- 
ing by some spring or stream on their route. A 
jolly jovial set — generally very illiterate, but with 
shrewd common sense. Nearly all the interior 
transportation of the mining district was done by 
these suckers from the middle and southern part 



14 

of the state for many years, until the advent of 
railroads. They took a great deal of pride in 
their whips, with lashes long enough to reach the 
farthest ox in the team. The one that could 
make the loudest crack of any of the crowd as 
they came down the long steep hills into town 
was the boss. 

The population of Galena was a motley one, 
made up generally of men mostly of energy and 
intelligence, who breaking away from their far 
distant homes came here to better their fortune, 
coming from nearly every state in the union. 
Many Cornish men from old England, with their 
broad accent. Gamblers and gambling saloons, 
and low Irish doggeries abounded. 

The whole country was dotted with mineral 
holes and was swarming with miners, hunting 
the precious metal. Some of them toiling for 
years and finding barety enough for asubsistance, 
and once in a while one who would blunder upon 
a lead that was a fortune. It was often said in 
after days that the average daily wages of all the 
miners engaged in mining would not exceed 
twenty-five cents per day. The miner was always 
bouyed up by hope, expecting from day to day 
to strike a lead. A notable instance of a lead 
struck a little east of the city; the father had 
been sinking a shaft and tunneling four or five 
years, the mother and daughters had been earn- 
ing money by sewing to support the family in 



15 

the mean time. The father became discouraged 
and said he would quit. The old lady says no 
we have enough money left to buy one more keg 
of powder. Try again. The next week the old 
man struck big mineral — enough to make all the 
family well oft' for life. It was known as the 
Whit-ham Lead, Mr. Whitham was a very worthy 
Englishman, much respected. A life long mem- 
ber of the Methodist church. 

The men who were the most successful in min- 
ing operations, were persons who were well post- 
ed in the business, and had the means to buy out 
new discoveries. Many fortunes were made in 
this way. 

('apt. Smith Harris was a very successful miner 
all through his long eventfal life. He usually 
struck his own leads, and nearly every winter 
when the boating season was over, he would pass 
the winter in mining. Up to his 76th year, after 
he had left the river, when his favorite boat, the 
Gray Eagle was sunk at the Rock Island bridge, 
in 1857, he often would go down to his diggings 
below town and put in the time wielding the 
pick drifting for mineral. He was one of the best 
and most successful of our upper river captains, 
and always run fast boats. The West Newton. 
The War Eagle and the Grey Eagle were very 
fast and popular boats. He was a good reliable 
man, performing his part in life in whatever pos- 
ition he was placed. R. S. Harris, his brother, 



16 ' 

who died some years ago in Dubuque was inter- 
ested with him in most of the boats as well as 
other boats not mentioned. Capt. Harris died 
in 1892 at the advanced age of 86, retaining his 
faculties to the last. He was my near neighbor 
for many years and I had a long pleasant inter- 
view with him only three or four months before 
his death. 

Nearly all the traffic of the upper river center- 
ed at this time and all told did not amount to 
much compared with that of later years. Most 
of the boats coming here were from Pittsburg and 
Cincinnati, bringing around nails, iron, lumber 
glass and groceries from St. Louis, and taking on 
cargeos of lead on their return, mostly for St. 
Louis. 

Occasionally a boat would come up the river 
loaded with supplies for the different government 
military ports. Fort Armstrong at Rock Island, 
Fort Crawford at Prairie DuChien, and Fort 
Snelling at the junction of the Minnesota and 
Mississippi rivers. A strong force was usually 
kept at these forts, usually at least a full regiment. 
It was neccessary in order to keep the Indians 
quiet. The Sacs and Foxes, Pottawattomies, Win- 
nebago, Kickapoos, and Chippeewas on the east 
side of the Mississippi. The powerful Sioux na- 
tion with their various tribes, occupied all north- 
ern Iowa and Minnesota, a restless marauding 
powerful tribe, always warring on the neighbor- 



17 

ing tribes, these all needed constant watching. 

Boats did not run with any regularity, usually 
one or two arrivals each week. They wended 
their way up the little crooked river six miles be- 
fore they reached the lead city of the hills. A 
deep clear stream with many deep pools not at 
all difficult to navigate in these early days before 
the wash from the mineral holes and plowed 
ground on the hills had filled it up. In the 
early days of Galena, sometimes the river would 
close early before sufficient supplies for the winter 
were laid in, and before spring, prices would be- 
come very high. One winter,"*1831 I think, the 
supply of flour was very short, the most of it was 
in the hands of the old Frenchman Bothillier, 
who lived on the East Side of the river. He had 
been an Indian trader for some years. He at 
this time had nearly all the flour in the town and 
kept advancing the price from eight dollars to 
ten, twelve, sixteen, and finally by the middle of 
January twenty dollars was his price, and still 
he had quite a quantity on had and the people 
had to pay his price. But providence or the ele- 
ments were against the old Frenchman. A heavy 
thaw set in continuing some two weeks, opening 
navigation from St. Louis to Galena, One morn 3 
ing early the old Frenchman peering down the 
river saw a steamboat rounding the point below 
town. "What, steamboat in the wint, who 



IS 

the debil ever saw a steamboat in the win t before." 
Flour was ten dollars per barrel after this, and 
spring navigation kept open only, occasionally a 
little iee running. It proved a God send ,to the 
people, as all the necessaries of life were becoming 
scarce and dear. 

Sometime in 1832 during the Black Hawk War 
a company of volunteers under the command of 
Col. Strode were encamped on the hill back of 
the town. The Col. got the idea in his head that 
the Galenians we becoming tocareless about dan- 
ger from the Indians, so he concluded lie would 
give them a scare, and alongabout midnight loud 
firing of musketry and cannon were heard. The 
cry was raised, The Indians! The Indians are upon 
us! Men, women and children were awakened 
from their slumbers and rushed in their night 
clothes pell mell for the Block house that stood 
near the intersection of Bench and Diagonal St. 
Some were seen praying. All rushed into the 
small Block house so thatthere was hardly stand- 
ing room for them. They passed a most miser- 
able night,, as 1 have been told by those who 
were cooped up there. In the morning there was 
some tall swearing when it was ascertained that 
it was a false alarm and further that there were 
no Indians within one hundred miles of Galena. 
No one of the company on the hill would own 
up as to how the alarm started.. The old Block 
house was standing as late as 1850. 



19 

Col. Strode and Col. Jas. W.Stevenson were 
both engaged in a battle orscare of what was call- 
ed Still nraris run, which occurred near the north 
of the Kesbwaukee a small stream emptying into 
Rock river some thirty miles above Dixon. It 
was a regular stampede on the part of our volun- 
teers. The only wonder was that so few of our 
troops were killed, (only 16) as all or nearly all 
of Black Hawk's forces were engaged in the battle. 
Gov. Ford in his history of Ills., tells an amusing 
story about the battle as related by a Kentucky 
Col. (Col. Strode is the one meant.) About 
serried ranks of Black Hawk's forces sweeping 
down upon the right and left wings of our troops 
and the overwhelming force of Indian Cavalry 
that by their resistless charge spread terror and 
dismay in our ranks. The Col. was one of the 
first to flee into the tall timber, in the dark night. 
After tiering some distance he dismounted and 
hitching his horse to a sapling to rest and recou- 
noiter, he thought he saw an Indian approaching. 
He sprang on his horse's back without unhitch- 
ing and putting the spurs to his horse, started 
away, but the horse being hitched kept curling- 
round, every time he came round the Col. would 
cry out, Don'tshoot Mr. Indian! Don't shoot! J sur- 
render. The Indian turned out to be a tall black 
stump. The story may have been true. Al- 
though the redoubtable Col. was not defficient in 
courage yet he was a great boaster, somewhat like 



20 

Iago in Hiawatha. But after all he was a gen- 
ial man and was generally liked. He was very 
fond of being referred to for information about the 
surrounding country. Some New England man 
was making inquiries of Col. A. G. S. Wight, the 
Col. being somewhat of a wag, referred him to 
Strode and told him to inquire about the Kesh- 
waukee country. The stranger told him that he 
had been referred to him as one who was well 
posted about all the surrounding country. The 
Col. said he was thoroughly posted. Well, 
could he tell about the country near Keshwaukee. 
His reply was a very -vulgar one and will not look 
well in print. Tell the man who referred you to 

me to go to h 1. The stranger was horrified, 

and told the story of his reception by the Col. to 
his friends much to the amusemust of Col. Wight. 
There were many amusing incidents as well as 
tragic ones in connection with this war. 

When the Indians first started out on the war 
path from Prophetstown, forty miles above Rock 
Island, they broke up into small detached bands 
thus multiplying their apparent numbers, spread- 
ing terror and alarm through the whole Rock 
River valley, and through all the country between 
Rock and Wisconsin rivers, striking one day on 
some point near Rock river and next at some 
point near Galena. When the Illinois volunteers 
had their forces concentrated and driven the sav- 
ages well north, they were straining every nerve 



21 

to reach the Mississippi river north of the Wis- 
consin, to make their escape into what is now 
Iow r a. 

The whole effective force that Black Hawk had 
any time, did not exceed six hundred, and he was 
hampered with the wives and little ones. The 
Illinois volunteers numbered about three thou- 
sand two hundred, and done nearly all the effec- 
tive fighting even after the arrival of one thousand 
U. S. troops, before the final capture and disper- 
sion of the Indians. 

The volunteers under Gen. Henry struck the 
first fatal blow at Bad Axe, while Gen. Atkinson 
with his troops was out on a false trail farther 
up the river. Taken altogether it was a most in- 
glories and expensive war. Our volunteers suf- 
ferred very severely towards the close from the 
want of supplies. Many of them lost their lives, 
and many families scattered over the area of the 
war were decimated. 

But finally the remnant of the Black Hawk 
forces were captured or destroyed at the battle of 
Bad Axe. Many canoes loaded with women and 
children were sunk and destroyed by the steamer 
Warrior, Capt. Thockmorton, my old time friend. 
He at this time always carried muskets and six 
powder cannons, as he carried nearly ail the sup- 
plies for the Forts on the Upper Mississippi. 

Black Hawk and a few of the principal chiefs 
were taken and escorted to Washington in order 



22 

that they might form a proper estimate of the 
power and might of r. S. Black Hawk and his 
Sacs and Foxes were not much to be blamed for 
their attachment to the beautiful country in 
which they sojourned on the banks of the beauti- 
ful Rock. The site of their main village stretch- 
ing along from the mouth of the river, covering 
the broad level prairie and the slopes of the wood- 
ed hills lying back of the cities of Rock Island 
and Moline, for scenic beauty, stands unequalled 
in all the great valley. 

The sale made at St. Louis in 1816 by a few 
chiefs who were never recognized as having any 
authority was not considered binding. But the 
U. S. Govt, had the land surveyed, declared open 
for settlement, and in 1832 quite a number of 
families, mostly from the New England states had 
entered and occupied most of the land bordering 
the mouth of Rock River and along the banks of 
the Mississippi for some miles. Very many of 
these early New England people 1 knew in after 
years, of these hardy pioneers something will be 
said farther on. 

The currency in use in the lead mine district in 
1832 and for many years after, was gold and sil- 
ver, mostly foreign coins. The sovereign, the 
par value of which was $4.87| invariably passed 
in all home transaction at $4.90. The silver coin 
was mostly in 5 franks, passing at 93c. The min- 
ers would not touch paper money. There was 



23 
verv little of U. S. coin in circulation, as these 
foreign coins passing for little more than their 
intrinsic value, kept the other out. Spanish 
quarters, half quarters, called hits and half bits 
called picaunes, formed the small change. A 
copper coin was a curiosity in those early days. 
When the V. S. commenced coining ten cent 
pieces, a number of enterprising eastern people 
brought them out, passing them lor 12J cents for 
sometime. 

Merchants were in the habit of giving almost 
unlimited credit, particularly to miners and smel- 
ters. If a hard fisted miner came into town with 
clothes ail stained up with the yellow clay of the 
mines and wanted anything on credit he almost 

. invariably got it. 

This system of almost unlimited credit could end 
in but one way eventually, that is. in embarrass- 
ment and bankruptcy. 

Quite a number of merchants who were doing 
an apparently prosperous business in 1833 and 
L834, became embarrassed and went out of busi- 
ness. 

Th ' lea lin-- h >uses in business in 1833 to 1836 
were Little & Wan n, Campbell and Morehouse,. 
G. W. & I. Uchison, William Hempstead, Farns- 
worth ct Fergeson, John Dowling, John £ 
Sewell Lorrain. M. C. Comstock and R. VV. 
Brash. 



24 



Two Years in St. Louis. My Residence in St. Louis 
From 1834 to 1836. 



In the fall of 1834, I left my position with 
Campbell & Morehouse in Galena, and went to St. 
Louis taking a clerkship with the firm of Hemp- 
stead & Beebe. William Hempstead of the firm, 
I knew in Galena. They opened a wholesale 
grocery and commission house on the levee, or 
Front St. For some years they received and for- 
warded most of the lead that was shipped from 
Galena for New Orleans and Pittsburg. 

St. Louis had a population at this time of about 
20,000 to 25,000, and done an immense amount 
of business for a city of this size. It was the cen- 
ter and distributing point for all the northwest. 
Thetrade from the upper Mississippi, the immense 
fur trade of the upper Missouri, the trade from 
the Illinois river, from Pittsburg by way of the 
Ohio. Most of the goods shipped from the east- 
ern states by the way of New Orleans, as well as 
all the foreign trade centering at New Orleans, alL 
found their way to St. Louis as the distributing 
point of the vast, but thinly settled territory. The 
majority of the people were French, very many 
of them speaking no other language. It was an 
amusing scene that met one who attended the 
large public market located at the the foot of Mar- 
ket street near the river front. The French hab- 



25 

itants from Vide Porseh, now called Corundalet 
would all be there with their little quaint carts ' 
loaded with vegetables or little loads of wood, the 
unvaring price of which was six bits. If you of- 
fered them 75 cents, the reply would be, no, no, 
six bit. The men and women would keep up a 
constant chattering, gesticulating and shrugging 
their shoulders, as they were making bargains 
with their customers for their various wares. Even 
at this early day there were many large, magnifi- 
cent steamers engaged in the New Orleans trade, 
and the levee was usually closely packed with 
steamers from all directions. The heavy whole- 
sale grocery and commission houses were scatter- 
ed all along the levee from Market street, north to 
Washington street. The dry goods and hardware 
houses were the most of them found along the 
line of Market street, which was at this time only 
built up as far back as Sixth street. Fourth St., 
was quite compactly built up some four or five 
blocks above Market. The Planters house was 
built on this street in 1836. 

The court house occupied the same site as at 
the present, but on a much smaller scale. The 
larger share of the business previous to this time 
had been in the hands of the wealthy French 
settlers. There had begun to be quite an .influx 
of good business men from other states, some 
from the Southern states, but very many of those 
who were enterprising came from New England. 



Among the number whom I recall were L. cv A. 
G. Farwell. the Belchers, who built the sugar re- 
finery, Hood and Abbott, I. S. Skinner, L. & G. 
Krskine. Along the levee engaged in the whole- 
sale grocery business, I. A: E. Walsh, Von Plul 
& McGill, E. & A. Tracy, Hempstead & Beebe. 
Win. G. Elliott, the Unitarian preacher, who 
<-ani<' there in 1834, who became a power for good 
in building up educational and scientific in- 
stitutions. Dr. Potts the Presbyterian had charge 
of a large flourishing church Wayman ('row 
another large minded liberal man, who in after 
days took such an active part in building up the 
mercantile library, was living here at the time. 
Thos. II. Benton, I saw only once, his house was 
in the outskirts of the city, on Biddle St., at the 
base of the St. Louis mound, a moderate sized two 
story building, it wasstill standing in 1864 perch- 
ed high up above the street. The mound was all 
leveled down many years ago. 

Thurston Polk, a nephew of Prest. Polk came to 
St. Louis in 1835. Most of these men whose 
names I have mentioned 1 knew personally. 
Some others I recall. Henry < J. Soulard and his 
brother, the Dr., I also knew the mother of them 
all. and met her at the homestead in 1835, she 
was then So years old. Geo. Knapp, so long the 
editor of the Republican was a fellow boarder 
with me in 1835. Theadore Magill and family, 
his wife's sisters, the Miss Tessons, Capt. ('alien- 



27 

da, who was the commander at Jefferson bar- 
racks, I knew and frequently spent an evening 
with them, playing a social game of whist. They 
lived on Market street, between Fifth and Sixth 
streets, near Col. Johnson, who had two beautiful 
half breed daughters, one of whom in after years 
married Capt. Gleim, the old time clerk of Cap- 
tain Thockmorton, who for so many years com- 
manded a number of boats on the upper Mis- 
sissippi. 

One day when 1 was on the levee shipping 
goods I saw persons rushing up the steep bank in 
pursuit of a negro man. He had got into an al- 
tercation with some one, aud an officer undertook 
to arrest him. He resisted and knocking the of- 
ficers hat off, tied up the levee, but was overtaken. 
When the officer told him that he should take 
him to the calaboose, he drew a huge bowie knife 
and struck the officer across the abdomen, inflict- 
ing a mortal wound, he then rushed up Olive 
street pursued by a crowd, turning south on 
Fourth street; as he passed the court house, a dep- 
uty sheriff rushed out and took hold of him: the 
negro struck him in the neck with hismurderous 
knife and nearly severed his head from his body. 
The brave officer fell weltering in his blood on 
the sidewalk. It was near supper time and hun- 
dreds were passing at the time. The desperado 
was filially disabled by a brick bat, and taken and 
carried to the calaboose. Soon after supper I 



28 

heard an uproar in the street, Cries of "to the cala- 
boose!" "To the calaboose!" The crowd took the 
negro out and in less than fifteen minutes he was 
firmly bound by a strong chain to a scrub oak, 
on the line of Seventh street, young negroes bring- 
ing shavings and fence rails, which were heaped 
around him. The scene was on slopeing ground 
and the tree to which he was bound was at the 
foot of the slope. The whole side of the hill was 
covered with the dense crowd. As soon as the 
torch was applied and the flames encircled his 
body he commenced singing in a loud voice his 
death song. 

Young Meseray who was a recent arrival from 
Boston raised the cry, "shoot him!" "shoot him!" 
The counter cry of "burn him !" "burn him !" was 
echoed by nearly all the vast crowd. The flames 
were fierce and strong, and the agony of the negro 
wassoon over. Eastern papers at the time strongly 
critisized the St. Louis people for the act, but the 
provocation was very great, both of the officers 
were men much respected. I knew the deputy 
sheriff well, he was the brother-in-law of my old 
time friend, Mortomer Kennett. 

Another incident on the levee while I was liv- 
ing in St. Louis. The negro roustabouts were 
rolling some casks of bacon down the steep bank 
for shipment on a New Orleans boat. Singing 
their merry songs with the chorus, when they 
heard a weak faint voice coming apparently from 



29 

(lie cask. "Don't, Don't, you hurt me." One of the 
darkies said, "what dat ! in the cask." Another 
said, "sho noting in de cask, go ahead". Another 
roll and another louder cry of "Let me out!" 
"Let me out !" "Dere is a man in that cask shur. 
Turn up the cask — get hatchet and open the cask 
and let de poor man out." The cask was opened 
and the bacon thrown out piece by piece in great 
haste and nothing found. They all rushed on to 
the boat saying, "that cask Hoodo shur." 

Signor Blitz the celebrated prestidigitator and 
ventriloquist, with two others of his friends were 
by enjoying the fun. 

In 1837 there were a series of robberies perpe- 
trated along the river from St. Louis to Galena, 
and for sometime no clue could be found to them. 
The last and worst was the attempt to rob the 
bank of Collier & Pettus, located on Olive street, 
between 3d and 4th sts., which resulted in the 
murder of two of the clerks who were sleeping in 
the adjoining room, and then the bank was set on 
fire to conceal the murder. The robbers did not 
obtain anything. 

Detectives were set at work, who finally ascer- 
tained that all these robberies along the river had 
been done by two or three colored men employed 
on the boats. One of the number after his con- 
viction made a full confession, telling of a num- 
ber of robberies committed along the river when- 
ever the boat they were on^was lying by a night. 



30 

Among the rest was an old rattle trap safe they 
looted in Galena, belonging to my friends, B. H. 
Campbell and Miers F. Truett. W. G. Pettus, 
whose clerks were murdered was my employer in 
a store at the corner of Market and Fourth streets. 

John W Spencer's Sketches of Early Days in 
Rock Island. 



1 have mentioned John W. Spencer's name and 
given a partial history of his connection with the 
early history of the town. I will add some furth- 
er particulars about him, mostly condenced from 
a short history written some years ago. a few 
years before his death. Dictated by him to his 
daughter Mary, the wife of T. Tyler Robinson. 

He left Vermont in 1820 for St. Louis, Mo. 
From there he went with some of his relatives 
into Green Co., Illinois, to secure their claims, 
While living in this part of the claim, Alton 40 
miles away, was the nearest postoffice. In 1827 
he went to the Galena lead mines to try his luck 
there, passing Rock Island on his way up the 
river in March, and returning late in the summer. 
In the fall of 1828 he went to Morgan county 12 
miles from Jacksonville. Rennah Wills in pass- 
ing down from Galena stopped with him over 
night, and told him that the Indians had left 
their old village at Rock Island. We both liked 
the country very much when we passed. In less 



31 

than a week lie and London Case, Sr., were on the 
way to learn if the Indians had left. On the way 
we met a Mr. Pence, who was on his way with a 
load of corn from Peoria for Judge Spence, who 
was just moving to the old Indian village on 
Rock River. They reached Rock River the 9th 
of December, and found Judge looking for a ford. 
We crossed about sundown and found several 
wigwams, in the largest we passed the night. In 
the morning we looked for a better wigwam and 
found one which proved to be Black Hawk's, a 
very comfortable one made of bark, large and 
roomy. On their arrival they found no Indians, 
they were all absent on their winter's hunt. We 
found here two white families, near the old Far- 
nam house (just below the Cable residence) (apt. 
Louis Clark, of Buffalo Scott Co., and a man 
named Harvey. Near Rapids City, were John 
and Thos. Kinney, Archibald Allen and Conrad 
Leak. These were all the settlers on the main 
land. North, about 70 miles, the Davidson family 
near Savanna. Two miles below New Boston, 
the Denisons, on the lower Rapids the family of 
old Jim White (The father of three or four noted 
river pilots in after years.) Soon after he came 
to Rock Island his business taking him to Galena, 
the officers at the garrison being anxious to hear 
the result of the election of 1828, arranged to have 
him carry the mail to Galena, and all in return, 
for which he was to receive $5.00. He made the 



32 

trip on foot, taking a pair of skates along, his 
first night was at the head of the Rapids, the next 
stopping would be at Davidson's, 50 miles. He 
met during the day a large party of Winnebagos, 
passed through them without any trouble, skat- 
ing along on a la^ge pond, the skates seemed to 
astonish the Indians. He could not cross Plumb 
river and was obliged to camp out, he succeeded 
in making a fire and in the morning crossed the 
river above where the ice was good, not going to 
Davidson's at all. He reached Galena safely, ex- 
changed mails and started on his return trip 
about noon Christmas, stopped all nightata wood 
chopper's hut. The next morning took breakfast 
at Davidson's. The next night he camped near the 
Meridocia, he heard the wolves walking about 
him all night and the Indian dogs barking on 
an island near by. The next day he reached the 
Fort, bringing the mail, giving the news of the 
election of Gen. Jackson. 

After coming here in the fall of 1827, and mak- 
ing a selection of a farm, he moved from Mor- 
gan county and arrived here on the first day of 
March, 1829. There was no house to be seen, so 
he hunted up a wigwam, finding one on the bluff 
near where Henry Case now lives. The same 
spring London Case and his three sons, Jonah, 
London and Charles came and settled on the old 
Case place. Rennah Wills and his four sons, 
and Joshua Vandruff settled on Rock River, in 



S3 

January, before Joel Wills settled near Hampton. 
In the spring Joel Wills Sr., and Levi and Hunt- 
ington Wills settled at Moline, Joseph Danforth 
son-in-law of Ren nah Wills a short distance above. 
Michael 0. Bartlett above where the quilt factory 
stands. About the last of May Mr. Goble and. 
his son Ben, settling just above Danforth. Win. 
T. Brashar settled on the farm bearing his name. 
But a few days elapsed when two Indians came, 
the first we had seen. One of them commenced 
talking in a loud voice pointing to his wigwam, 
saying "Sanki Wigeop," pointing to the ground, 
saying "Sanku Anihe" claiming the wigwam and 
the land. This man proved to be Black Hawk. 
The first he went to was his own wigwam occupied 
by Judge Spence near Rock River. They had 
never heard of Black Hawk. He seemed to be 
very much troubled at finding his wigwam occu- 
pied. About six weeks after Black Hawk returned 
with his Indians, about two hundred of them, all 
young men, mounted, they rode round Judge 
Spence's house, (he had built a cabin and left 
Black Hawk's wigwam.) Mrs. Spence was very 
much alarmed being alone with her children. 
She sent one of the children to the fort, ('apt. 
Nelson in command sent the interpreter Antonie 
Seclair down, who told them they must behave 
or the soldiers at the fort would be after them. 
They became quiet after this, with the excep- 
tion of a little trouble with Rennah Wills. 



34 

They had corn fields all along the base of the 
bluffs, the corn being planted in raised hills 
at first, and added to from year to year, look- 
ing like small mounds, some of them were 
plainly to be seen forty years after. They 
also raised a good many beans and squashes. The 
work of cultivation was done almost entirely by 
the squaws and children. They had slight fences, 
only which would turn cattle and hogs away. 
Chief Keokuk in the spring when the corn was 
up about knee high called on the white settlers 
and requesed them them to keep the cattle up 
nights as the Indian fences were so poor. They 
all complied except Rennah Wills, who thought 
it to much trouble. When the corn was large 
enough for roasting ears, Wills cattle broke into 
and destroyed the corn of a number of Indian 
families one or two nights. Mr. Wills had corn 
on the opposite side of the road, the next time the 
Indians turned Wills cattle into his field. Wills 
kept his cattle up after this. He became very 
well accquainted with Black Hawk, living less 
than a quarter of a mile from him all one sum- 
mer. He was a man of medium size, about 60 
years of age, a very quiet peaceable neighbor and 
a strong temperance man. He made a visit with 
a few of his braves to a man who was selling 
whisky to his Indians. He rolled the whisky 
barrels out doors and knocked in the heads. The 
agent told him he might get himself into trouble 



if he done it any more. This discouraged him in 
his efforts to save his braves from the evils of 
strong drink. Before the war with the whites he 
always wore the usual Indian costume. After the 
war he wore the white man's dress. 

The Indians left for their usual fall and winter 
hunts about the fifteenth of September, and all 
left the same day. The Sacs and Foxes owned 
the lands jointly; when they traveled they had 
separate camps. The Foxes while living here oc- 
cupied the land from Jonah Case's place up as far 
as Wm. Brooks'. The Foxes had mostly left be- 
fore the whites came, except a few who had inter- 
married with the Sacs and they had villages at 
Princeton, Bellevue and Dubuque. In starting 
for their huntinggrounds down the river they took 
with them five or six hundred horses and about 
two hundred canoes, ascending the Iowa, Skunk 
and Des Moines rivers, and smaller streams that 
would admit a canoe. After the fall hunt they 
had a rendezvous appointed where all were to meet, 
making sometimes temporary forts as a protection 
against their enemies, the Sioux. After making 
their maple sugar in the spring they were ready 
to return to their old village at Rock Island. They 
would all meet near the mouth of the Iowa river 
and starting from there with their horses and 
canoes would proceed slowly and orderly under a 
leader up the river usually making eight or ten 
miles a day. They would arrive here at the same 



36 

hour. They brought home little besides maple 
sugar and dried meat, having sold their pelting 
and furs to the traders along the river. Now they 
commenced looking for their corn and beans 
which they had cached the season before. They 
usually found them all right, as they had a way 
of so covering up all signs of their caches that is 
very difficult for any one else to find them. Some- 
times the thieving Winnebagos whom they hated, 
(and nothing would displease a Sauke more than 
to call him a Winnebago) would, sticking their 
spear in the ground, find one and steal their sup- 
plies. 

They made one buffalo hunt each year leaving 
the first of July. In order to be ready for their 
deadly enemies the Sioux, each man was armed 
with a gun, a bow, and a large bundle of arrows. 
They expected fighting, and generally brought 
home scalps, dried meat and tallow, but no buffalo 
robes on account of the hot weather. 

Thisyear,our Indians, in an attack on theSioux 
camp on Turkey river some miles above Dubu- 
que killed several Sioux, and among the rest a 
Winnebago squaw and a Menominee boy. They 
settled with the Winnebagos by giving them 
horses. They always avoided a rupture with the 
Winnebagos who were eight thousand strong. 
The Menominees were good friends of theirs, some 
of them speaking the same language, but were a 
long distance awav. Nine of the Foxes started 



37 

with a canoe for Praire Da Chein to make restitu- 
tion for the boy killed. When a little below the 
Wisconsin river they were attacked by the Me- 
nominees and all killed. This stirred up a spirit 
of revenge and in August our Indians surprised 
the Menominees within three hundred yards of 
Fort Crawford and killed forty-six men, women 
and children. Our government called our Indians 
to account for this. Keokuk, as chief, on being 
callelon took a stick a:id balancing it on his hand, 
said "nine of the principal men of the Foxes on 
one end and torty-six, men women and children 
of the Menominees on the other is about even. , ' 
And that was the settlement. 

The possessions of the Sacs and Foxes commen- 
ced at the mouth of the Illinois river and along 
that stream as far as Peoria north, to strike the 
Wisconsin, about seventy miles from its mouth, 
down the Wisconsin to the Mississippi, and down 
the Mississippi to the place of beginning. This 
powerful tribe of Indians, much more powerful 
many years ago than now. came last from Green 
Bay and some of them from Canada. According 
to Park man's history, one hundred or more years 
ago they were the most powerful and aggressive 
tribe in the Northwest, the parent stock were called 
Abegenses. They had been living here about sixty 
years, where they reached the father of waters 
and found here and along the banks of the Rock 
River the most beautiful countrv thev had ever 



seen — the rivers abounding in fish and the coun- 
try alive with game — no wonder they were not 
willing to leave it to be driven away so ruthless- 
ly and unjustly. 

They had an old legend about the Island, and 
this was the reason they disliked so much to leave 
this most beautiful of all islands in the Missis- 
sippi occupied as a military post. They thought 
a good spirit had charge of it, who lived in a 
small cave under the place in which the fort was 
built. The spirit as seen by Indians was white 
with wings like a swan only ten times larger. 
They were always careful to avoid making any 
noise when they came on the island in the sum- 
mer. The noise made in building the fort drove 
the good spirit away. In 1804 one of our Indians 
killed a man in St. Louis and was put in jail, a 
deputation of five men from the Sacs were sent 
down to get him released taking horses along to 
be given for his release. While there these five 
men sold the United States all their lands east of 
the Mississippi river for an annuity of two thou- 
sand dollars, annually forever. ' Gen. Clark mak- 
ing the treaty for the government. The larger 
part of the Indians were bitterly opposed to 
the sale, out of this sale grew the Black Hawk 
War. 

There was a claim in the treaty that the In- 
dians might occupy the land while it belonged to 
the government. It had been surveyed some years 



39 

before. Notice had been given that the land 
would be offered for sale in October and the In- 
dian agent told them they must not come back, 
but they did, but not in such numbers as be* 
fore, as Keokuk, who was opposed to returning 
had commenced a village on the Iowa river. Keo- 
kuk was a remarkable orator, but not an hereditary 
chief. Black Hawk was a born chief and was the 
head of what was called the British party. In 
1831 the Indians relanded in large numbers and 
with quite a different spirit towards the whites. 
Black Hawk gave the settlers notice that after 
this season they must go south of Rock River or 
above Pleasant Valley. He wanted all the coun- 
try between the two rivers exclusively for his In- 
dians, giving as a reason they could not give up 
their pleasant grounds. That they were safe on 
this side of the river from the Sioux. He said we 
could all stay until next season except Vandruff 
And Rennah Wells, (both rather hard nuts) old man 
Vandruff said it would be hard for him to leave 
with his twelve children and he was a poor man. 
Black Hawk said he could stay another season, 
but Wells must go at once, but he finally consent- 
ed to let him stay thirty days. This new move of 
the Indians made it necessary for the settlers to 
look around for protection. We sent a statement 
of our situation to the governor of the state. He 
moved at once in the matter applying to old Gen. 
Gaines at Jefferson barracks, Missouri. He took 



40 

the sixth regiment and proceeded at once to Rock 
Island. He had all the white settlers with their 
cattle and effects come onto the island at once. 
He then sent for Black Hawk to have a talk with 
him — the day was set. Keokuk and some of his 
friends came up from their village on the Iowa 
river and came on the island. They all met in 
the council house, Black Hawk with some seventy 
of his warriors painted and dressed, and near the 
council house commenced singing in a very loud 
manner. This seemed to alarm Keokuk and his 
party, and they left in their canoes in great haste 
fearing a massacre. A man with Black Hawk 
commenced speaking in a loud boisterous man- 
ner seeming to be very angry. Gen. Gaines spoke 
to him very gently of the sale of the land and 
reaching the treaty seemed to enrage him still 
more. He said "white people speak from paper, 
but Indian always speak from the heart." After 
the purchase of these lands in 1804 the govern- 
ment had exchanged all the lands lying north of 
what was called the Indian boundary line, which 
struck the Mississippi near the lower line of Rock 
Island ranging from the most Southern point of 
Lake Michigan, with the Chippewas, Pottowato- 
mis and Ottowas, for land lying about Chicago. 
In 1829 the government re-purchased these lands 
of the Indians, giving them $10,000 a year for- 
ever, and allowing them to select a quarter of a 
section for each of their half breeds. Antonie 



41 

Leclair and his brother selected theirs on the Miss- 
issippi river, commencing at Molineand running 
up to Watertown, Henry McNeal's old place. 
Black Hawk said in reply about the treaty of 
1804, that the men had no right to make it, had 
no right to sell it, if it was sold, they got nothing 
for it. For if a small part of the land was worth 
$16,000 a year forever, a small portion of it was 
worth more than $2,000, Black Hawk's reasoning- 
was right, we thought, He said he would not 
fight and would not leave. Gen. Gaines inter- 
preted his talk to mean that he would fight. The 
force here was small — only aboutfive hundred in 
all. The men and boys of the settlement were 
all in the fort away from their homes, doing noth- 
ing. It was proposed to the General that a com- 
pany should be formed from the settlers, this 
was done and fifty-eight men were enrolled, and 
called the Rock River Rangers. Benjamin I. 
Peter was elected captain, John W. Spencer and 
Griffith Aubry lieutenants, Chas. Case, Benj. 
Gable and Henry Benson corporals. The com- 
pany was mustered into service on the 5th of 
June, 1831. 

Gen. Gaines called on the governor for help and 
collected about 1600 at the rendezvous at Beards- 
town. Another meeting ortwo was held with Black 
Hawk while the force was collecting. Gen. Gaines 
fitted up the steamer Winnebago with a cannon 
on the bow, and a company of soldiers going on 



42 

the boat went up Rock river passing withing fifty 
yards of their wigwams. But they showed no 
surprise, no wonder or fear. As soon as the gov- 
ernor's troops were collected, they marched to Rock 
Island camping within two miles of the island. 
Th3 Indians were aware of their approach, cross- 
ed the Mississippi, taking with them their women 
and children and all their effects. The next day 
was fixed for the attack on Black Hawk. The 
steam boat was to ascend the river with one com- 
pany of men from the fort while the rest of the 
forces under the command of Major Bliss were to 
march over land to the Indian village. An In- 
dian named Black Buffalo met the troops and 
John W. Spencer, { who knew him well,) he told 
that the Indians had gone across the river. He 
was not beleived and was kept a prisoner for that 
day. They took up their line of march taking 
the direction of Black Hawk's town. Arriving, 
a cannon was placed on the brow of the bluffand 
grape and canister was thrown into the bushes 
on Vandruff island. Gen. Gaines arriving with 
the boat commenced firing into the island also. 
(Some years after, about 1870, the writer found a 
six pound cannon ball just above Sears mill, the 
bed of the river had been laid bare by a coffer- 
dam but above, this ball I still have and have 
no doubt it was thrown at this time.) Another in- 
cident connected with their state volunteers is 
this, that Abraham Lincoln was there among 



43 

them. It proved that Black Buffalo told the 
truth. The volunteers burned the Indian wig- 
wams (an unjust proceeding) and marched to 
Rock Island camping along the river from the 
the present ferry landing to the freight depot. 
They turned these 1600 horses loose on the prairie 
and the next thing to do was to find food for 
their supper. Mr. Spencer had a field of twenty 
acres of corn and potatoes, and the volunteers 
went for the fence. Gen. Gaines told them to stop 
and they did while he was there, but they destroy- 
ed the fence, and he lost his crop, receiving 
from the volunteers, ten times as much damage 
as the Indians had ever done him — for which he 
never received a cent. Afterwards Black Hawk 
was asked why he did not stay as he said he would. 
He said he would have stayed if there had been 
only the United States troops, as they were under 
good control. 

A few days after there was another meeting 
held with Black Hawk and another treaty 
made in which it was agreed that the Indians 
were to stay on the other side of the river, and 
the government was to give them as much corn 
as they would have raised in their corn field. 
John W. Spencer and Rennah Wells were select- 
ed to make the estimate, which amounted to sev- 
eral thousand bushels. 

This closed the operations in 1831. In the 
spring of 1832 the Indians violated their agree- 



44 

meet to keep on the west side of the river. They 
crossed at Burlington (called Flint Hills) and 
came up as usual with their canoes and horses. 
Gen. Atkinson with one '*egiment of United 
States troops was sent up from Jefferson barracks, 
reaching here before the Indians, as the Indians 
did not make more than ten miles a day, reach- 
ing here soon after the General. They kept on 
the south side of Big Island. When they were 
near the present site of Moline, John W. Spencer 
went over to watch their movements. He met 
four young men, one of them was Seoscuk, Black 
Hawk's son, a splendid looking fellow. He ask- 
ed him where they were going. He said they 
might go over to their village or they might stop 
where they were or go up Rock river to Prophets- 
town. Mr. Spencer was the only white man who 
had any communication with them at this point. 
They went up Rock river about two miles and 
encamped for the night. Mr. Spencer told Sea- 
scuk that there was a good many troops at the 
fort. The next morning the Indians were heard 
beating their drums and singing. Gen. Atkinson 
was anxious to learn what were their movements 
and also to inform the frontier settlers of their 
danger. Mr. Spencer proposed to take his dis- 
patch to the nearest settlement; taking a canoe 
to avoid the Indians, he went to the mouth of 
Rock river and hiding the canoe made the rest of 
the journey on foot. He delivered the dispatch 



45 
of warning to a few settlers, and coming back 
found his canoe all right. It was supposed the 
General would stop the Indians at this point, but 
he did not, but he sent to the governor for help. 
He was soon here with 1800 mounted men, they 
were then ready to follow the Indians up Rock 
river, but a steam boat could not cross the rapids, 
so a small keel boat of 80 tons was loaded with 
supplies and started up Rock river. It took two 
days to get over the rapids and on the 8th of May 
the expedition started ; they found the stream 
very rapid and it was very hard work for the 
soldiers to push the boat along up the river. The 
General had several hundred regulars with him 
and the crew of the boat was changed every day. 
The first camping place was about two miles 
above the # I. C. R. R., bridge. The second at 
Canoe Creek, the third at Sand Prairie. This 
part of the river was so low that we made but 
little progress. The fourth encampment was 
about two miles above Prophetstown. The troops 
were officered by Gen. Atkinson, Col. Zachariah 
Taylor, Abraham Lincoln, Capt. Kearney; Capt, 
Lincoln, belonged to the volunteers. The others 
to the regulars. It was about the middle of May 
— a pleasant moonlight night when a young man 
from Dixon came down and said Maj. Stillman 
of the volunteer force had been defeated and there 
was a great loss of life. Maj. Stillman had ren- 
dezvoused at Dixon with about 300 men who 
came mostly from Peoria. 



46 

The governor was ordered to this place, when 
he arrived, Stillman had been several days in 
camp and his men were tired of camp life. So 
Stillman proposed while they were waiting for the 
arrival of general Atkinson that he be permitted 
to go and find the Indians. Governor consented 
and they drew rations for four or five days. 
Whisky constituted one of the rations. On the 
first day out the volunteers concluded the best 
way to carry the whisky was to drink it all in one 
day, by night many of them were not very sober. 
About an hour before dark they camped only 
three or four miles from the Indians. They had 
not been in camp long when Black Hawk sent 
three of his braves with a flag of truce, saying 
that Black Hawk would come in the morning and 
have a talk with them, that he did not *want to fight. 
Black Hawk sent four or five of his men out on 
the prairie to see how their flag of truce was re- 
ceived. Some twenty or thirty of our men being 
under the influence of whisky gathered up there 
horses and guns and rode out to where the In- 
dians were sitting not expecting any harm, when 
our men rode near them, raised their guns delib- 
erately, killing three of the Indians, the other two 
fleeing to their encampment, (shame on the 
drunken cowards.) Those bearing the flag of 
truce in the flurry and excitement sprang away 
and escaped. Now our troops prepared to meet 
the Indians as they felt sure they would fight* 



47 

As soon as the news reached the Indians they 
flew to their horses, and came on to the fight. 
They commenced firing at long range and before 
many shots had been fired, our men commenced 
a stampede for Dixon, the Indians close in the 
rear killing all who were unhorsed in the fight. 
The men who first came to Dixon reported that 
nearly the whole command waskilled, but it turn- 
ed out the most made a bee line for their homes. 
A strong force was sent out the next day to bring 
in the dead, there were eleven killed of the whites 
and five Indians including the three killed on the 
prairie. Black Hawk did not want to fight and 
intended to give himself up and these few drunk- 
en cowardly men brought this trouble and ex- 
pense upon us, causing the loss of many valuable 
lives and costing many thousands of dollars, 
spreading terror and alarm all over Northern 
Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. This condensed 
account I have given, as narrated by my good 
old time friend, a brave, honorable, upright, truth- 
ful man, is the only one that I have ever seen that 
gives a true and just account of this most unfort- 
unate war. Governor Ford's history of the inci- 
dents connected with this war after what is re- 
lated by Judge Spencer is probably the best that 
has been written. In order to give a full history 
of the first settlement of Rock Island and vicinity 
before 1833 I have used Mr. Spencer's narative 
up to 1832. 

(J. W. Spencer's narative as told by his daughter 
Mary, the wife of Tyler Robinson, and written down 
by her. 



48 

Sketches of Some of the Early Settlers Near Rock 
Island. 



Charles Atkinson settled at Cleveland on Rock 
river in 1838, I met him and his amiable wife 
while they were living there. A few years after 
he moved to Moline and assisted in organizing 
the Moline Water Powereompany of which he was 
president and the moving directing spirit for 
many years. And when the goverment formulat- 
ed a plan for the improvement of the island, in- 
cluding the immense work shops since erected, 
requiring the use of the water power already in 
use by the company, Mr. Atkinson drew up a 
strong contract and had it accepted by the war 
department, which gave the Water Power com- 
pany many advantages. Binding the govern- 
ment to do certain things, among the rest giving 
the company the use of one-third of the power. It 
was considered to be a very sharp bargain and thus 
far has proved to be a very costly one to the Unit- 
ed States. The whole transcaction showed Mr. 
Atkinson to be a very sharp business man. 

W. W. Wright settled in Hampton sometime in 
the 40s. He entered into the mercantile busi- 
ness and for many years done a very flourishing 
business, dealing largely in the products of the 
county. Having the entire confidence of the com- 
munity, many of the farmers who had surplus 
funds deposited it with him. He was a straight- 



49 

forward honest man, and a gentleman. I had a 
good many business transactions with him while 
I lived in Galena — later, he one winter invested 
largely in pork packing and became somewhat 
involved and quit business. 

Henry McNeal who occupied the old McNeal 
place for many years near Watertown came to 
this country at quite an early day before the fam- 
ily occupied the old homestead. He lived among 
the Northern Indians some years, leaving his east- 
ern home when a boy. He was a shrewd man, a 
good judge of character. It was very interesting 
to him to tell of the early history of the country 
andol his many adventures. 

Dennis Warren who owned the two corner lots 
south of the Opera house must have come here in 
1834, as he entered these two choice lots at the 
county commissioners' sale in that year, paying I 
think $400 each for them and has held them till 
now, 59 years. I have heard Rennah Wells ,who 
lived near Sears mill at the time tell how he ap- 
plied for board with him, and wanted a cheap 
rate as he did not care to have anything better 
than crackers and milk. He must have brought 
some money with him from New York. He had 
quite a stock of cheap jewelry which he peddled 
about without any liscense. One of his brothers 
with whom he was interested had a stock of cloths 
and satinets which he offered to sell to the people. 



50 

Not having a merchant liscense some of our deal- 
ers complained of his violation of law. He was 
fined I think $25. Dennis swore vengeance 
against the town and said he would hold these 
two lots as long as he lived and he kept his word. 
He had three brothers, one of them had a store in 
Platteville, Wisconsin, another a store in Dodge- 
ville, and another was doing business in Prairie 
Du Sac in 1850. They were shifting around very 
often. Dennis had an interest with one of them 
in a saw mill on the upper Wisconsin. Some- 
time in the fifties I held a claim for an estate for 
some $800 against a man engaged in trade on the 
Wisconsin. Dennis offered to exchange his inter- 
est in his town then called New York, now Lyons, 
the site of which he then owned for the claim. 
He'laid out a town there and made a large amount 
of money from the sale of lots. He made no im- 
provements himself whatever. He was a hard, 
intensly selfish man. 

A large family of the Drurys lived in the lower 
part of the county, they seemed to be very fond of 
litigation. There was hardly a term of court 
held but w T hat they had one or more suits pend- 
ing. Some of these suits were waged against the 
people of Illinois City, a rival town in the neigh- 
borhood. This town was started by old Coleman 
and a Mr. Klump, both from Indiana and both 
hard cases. It was said and with good reason that 
thieves and counterfeiters often made this place 
their resort. 



51 

In the fall of 1839 old man Coleman came to 
Rock Island and invited a number of our young 
men to come down and attend a ball at the hotel 
he had just opened. We hired a four horse rig of 
Henry Powars and some 12 to 15 of us went down 
many of us taking guns along to hunt on the way. 
Our old friend Tim Babcock took along his fiddle 
and clarionet and another musician went along. 
Uncle Joe Conway went down on horseback. Cole- 
man had promised to invite all the girls of the 
neighborhood to meet us. We arrived there in 
good season and had our supper. 

Soon after dark the musicians took their places 
and we begun to look for the girls but none were 
visible, instead a middle aged fat woman was the 
only woman visible. Some of the boys trotted 
her out a few times and it after degenerated into 
what is called a stag dance. Tim Babcock play- 
ing the fiddle and calling part of the time. The 
other musician calling when he used the clarionet. 
The gay scene was lighted up by two or three tal- 
low candles. There was a bar at the other end of 
the room, to which some of the boys resorted oc- 
casionally. It was dimly lighted; a tall rough 
looking customer belonging to the neighborhood 
went behind the bar and drawing a huge bowie 
knife just for ugliness refused any admittance. 
Our genial county recorder, W. E. Franklin did 
not like to have his liquid rations thus summarily 
cut off, so he walked up to the front of the bar 



52 

and drawing the large brass key of his office from 
his pocket and pointing it at the bully, says to 
him "give me that knife or I will blow you to 

h =1." The man came out and was seized by 

the crowd and tumbled out of doors, and then the 
dance went on through the long dreary night. It 
had commenced raining heavily early in the even- 
ing. Old Joe Conway not liking the looks of 
things started for home towards night; coming to 
a swollen creek, in attempting to cross, he was 
washed from his horse and floated down stream, 
caught hold of some willows and commenced 
hallowing for help. Fortunately someone heard 
him and took him and his horse in for the night 
A carpenter by the name of Cook, amused himself 
in one end of the room, in throwing up pump- 
kins from a pile, and saying, "they go up pump- 
kin and come down squash." I went to bed about 
12 o'clock, in the room overhead, with a loose 
board floor, but I could not sleep, I never shall 
forget the sound of Tim's clarionet, second, as the 
dance went on. He was an excellent musician 
and was always in demand at all the balls in this 
section. In the melee in ejecting the ruffian, I loan- 
ed Tim my rifle pistol, and he dropped it on the 
floor; it was captured by Illinois City people and 
after some months was returned to me. In the 
morning the boys had their arms all in readiness 
to repel an attack, if one had been made, as was 
threatened and we started home; a more disgusted 



53 
set of mortals I have never seen. I think most of 
us ever after gave this hard town the go by, I have 
at least, as I have not been there since. 

At Cordova, a number of the Marshall family 
resided, some three or four brothers, some engaged 
in trade, and some in farming. This was the best 
corn raising land near Cordova, in the county, 
and some of the brothers dealt largely in that 
staple. Almost every year long rows of cribs of 
the yellow grain were seen adjoining the town. 
All that broad sandy prairie lying above Cordova 
and extending upto the head of theMeridociaand 
east to the line of Whiteside County, this part be- 
ing mostly a marsh, was once the bed of the river, 
or rather of a large lake, before the Mississippi 
broke through the chain of rocks forming the 
rapids. Before this the Mississippi and Rock 
river formed a junction at the present outlet of 
the Meridocia. A portion of the Mississippi find- 
ing an outlet through what iscalled Pleasant Val- 
ley. A broad, beautiful, fertile valley, covered 
with some of the best farms in the country. Soon 
after the Mississippi broke the rocky barrier, all 
that portion of the county from Cordova to the 
mouth of Rock river, lying between the two rivers 
was an island. 

Rock Island City, the site of Black Hawk's vil- 
lage, near the Hears mill was laid off into lots by 
Chas. A. Spring, of New York. He lived there for 
a few years, and was out here the same year the 



54 

Sears mill was built. He then disposed of the 
land he owner there, to D. B. Sears. Daniel 
Webster, who had an interest with him in this 
incipient beautiful site for a town. The water 
power at this point of Rock river at an early date 
attracted attention, and the grist, saw and paper 
mills and a large distillery were put in operation, 
and Milan at one time was a prosperous, thriv- 
ing village. Mr. Johnson erected a good sub- 
stantial flour mill, and for some time done a pros- 
perous and profitable business, and the mill burn- 
ed down. Jacob Frysinger erected a large distill- 
ery during the war of the rebellion. The owners 
of the two paper mills got into litigation which 
ended in disaster to all concerned. The large 
brick building erected for the manufacture of 
watches still stands, but has never been utilized. 
A monument of duplicity and fraud showing how 
easily men are deceived by rogues, who fraudu- 
lently hold out the idea of large profits. The large 
well built stone grist mills, erected by D. B. Sears 
was burned down a few years ago. The dams 
built across the branches on the Milan side are 
all gone. The substantial one built by Mr. Sears, 
is fast going to decay. The only enterprises 
started in this neighborhood in recent years, that 
still exist are the paper mill and the cotton fac- 
tory, both owned and controlled byRockford cap- 
ital ; unless the Sears dam is soon repaired, 
these two must go the way of all the rest. \ fa- 



55 

tality seems to have fallen upon every enterprise 
undertaken here in the neighborhood of Black 
Hawk's old village. There is no better water 
power in this section of the country, or one more 
easily improved, and controlled, than the main 
or north side of the river, and the site of that old 
Indian village for beauty of scenery stands un- 
equalled, with its high rolling ground, and the 
beautiful shady groves that cover the hill sides 
along the way .to Rock Island. Perhaps the curse 
of old Black Hawk for depriving him of his home 
rests upon this spot. The city of Rock Island, 
many years ago seeing the necessity for securing 
the trade of the many thriving settlements and 
colonieson the south side of the river, (this section 
being the main source from which to draw trade,) 
by an act of legislature,obi,ained the right to bridge 
Eock river and its branches, and to collect tolls 
for the same. Much of the south end of the road, 
from Rock Island to the river, was very sandy, 
and some years ago an ordinance was passed, auth- 
orizing the constructing of a macadam end grav- 
elled road. Reynolds & Salpaugh took the con- 
tract, and put in a good substantial road bed, at a 
cost of $22,000 Large appropriations had to be 
made nearly every year, to keep the bridge in re- 
pair, [t is quite doubtful if the large outlay that 
has been made since the system was inaugurated, 
counting up into many thousands of dollars, 
has been a paving investment to the citv. The 



56 

tolls collected have helped somewhat to lighten 
the heavy outlay. Many attempts have been 
made from time to time to induce the county to 
shoulder the burden, but without avail. 

Mr. D. B. Sears may well be called the founder 
of Moline, as he was the first one to suggest the 
idea of utilizing the water power, and he put the 
idea into practical effect, by building a dam, in- 
venting and using materials for constructing it, 
that were new I think, but have since been large- 
ly put to practical use by Jas. B. Eades in hisjet- 
ties at the passes at New Orleans, and by the Unit- 
ed States in constructing wing dams to concentrate 
the water of sloughs in the main channel of the 
river. His plan was to first put in a layer of 
small trees, then a layer of rock on the tops of the 
brush, which were pointed up stream, and so on 
until the dam was raised to the requisite height. 
Thus making a strong dam, and drift of sand or 
earth lodging upon it, making it still stronger. 
Such a dam he built across the stream near where 
the government bridge now stands. Permission 
was obtained of the government to erect mills on 
the island shore, and some two or three were put 
up. This was the foundation and commencement 
of the prosperity of Moline as a great manufact- 
uring center. The water power grew out of this 
nuclus, and old man Reed was the first one who 
had its management. It afterwards passed into 
the wise and judicious management of my old 



57 

time friend, Charles Atkinson, who remained its 
manager until his decease,a few yearsago. Among 
the early settlers of Moline, were the Hartsells and 
Wells families, the Hunton brothers, who were 
connections of Mr. Sears. The Edwards family 
and some others whose names I do not recall. 
Later in 1846 John Deere, Mr. Hemmway, Judge 
Gould, S. W. Wheelock, C. K.Swann,all of whom 
took a leading part in the development of the 
various manufacturing enterprises of the city. 

D. B. Sears obtained permission of the govern- 
ment to build a grist mill on the little rocky 
island, which lies near the head of rock island, 
running a dam across the narrow inlet that flows 
between the two, and also the right to use a por- 
tion of the upper part of the main island. He 
put up a good substantial grist mill, and occu- 
pied it for many years, until the government 
wanted to use the whole island. This small island 
for sometime after the mill was built, was used as 
the only landing for Moline, for boats bound up 
stream. It was very difficult for boats to land 
coming down stream, owing to the strong current 
of the rapids. 

I think it was in 1867, the government wishing 
to have, and control the whole island, bought out 
Mr. Sears claim to the little island, and a number 
of acres at the upper end. Commissioners were 
appointed, who awarded Mr. Sears $112,000, a 
magnificent sum, with which he was enabled to 
buy a large tract of land, at, and around the Sears* 
mill, and to build the grist mill. 



58 
Rock Island from 1836 to 1841, Moline and Vicinity. 

Passing up the Mississippi in 1834 to 1836, bat 
few towns were seen. On the Missouri side of the 
river were Clarkesville, Louisiana and Hannibal, 
— all small towns, containing from 400 to 600 
people, not thrifty looking at all, owing to the 
blight of slavery. There were very few settle- 
ments along the line of the river on the eastern 
or Illinois side. Quincy was quite a thriving 
town with an energetic go ahead, population com- 
ing mostly from the New England states. \t the 
head of the lower rapids a small goverment post 
was established for the accommodation of a regi- 
ment of cavalry, to keep the Indians in check. 
Flint Hills, the present site of Burlington was 
about the first settlement in Iowa, except an In- 
dian trading establishment at Dubuque. Musca- 
tine then called vannettas landing, had a lew scat- 
tering log cabins. Davenport had one house only 
in 1833, belonging to Antonie Leclair, the In- 
dian interpreter and trader. With these few ex- 
ceptions, the whole country from St. Louis and 
Alton, was an almost unbroken wilderness. Many 
points here and there along the river were very 
beautiful. The gentle sloping hills at the head 
of the rapids — the present site of the far famed 
Morrnan City of Navou, were very attractive. But 
the scenery along the banks of the Great river 
from Muscatine to the head of the upper rapids 



59 

stands unrivelled for beautiful, picturesque, scen- 
ery. As you come up the river and approach the 
present site of Rock Island and Davenport, in the 
center between the two sides of the river, Fort 
Armstrong, with its white walls glistening in the 
sun, occupying all the front part of the rocky 
point of the island ; looking in the distance like 
a well built city ; on the north side of the river 
the sloping beautiful banks covered with the scrub 
oaks, looking in the distance like a well kept apple 
orchard, with only one house to mar the beauty 
of the scene; on the south a broad smooth prairie 
sweeping around fiom Rock river to the present 
site of Moline; in the distance densly wooded 
hills; a few farm houses also are to be seen. This 
is a faint and inadequate description of the pres- 
ent site of Davenport and Rock Island as they 
appeared to me in 1833. 

In the fall of 1836 I met an old Galena ac- 
quaintance John S. Miller in St. Louis, he was 
in St. Louis buying goods to open a store in 
Rock Island, then called Stevenson. He wished 
me to join him as a partner in business. He had 
considerable capital, and my knowledge of busi- 
ness was to offset his capital. Unfortunately as 
the sequel proved, I accepted his proposition, leav- 
ing a good situation in St. Louis. I came up to 
Rock Island and started in business with him. 
He was a man with a violent temper, not used 
to business, and after staying with him two years 



60 

we desolved partnership, leaving me little or noth- 
ing, except liabilities amounting to $15,000, for 
which, I was holden. He dying soon after the 
termination of the partnership, his widow who 
was a shrewd, unscrupulous woman, through the 
manipulations of a corrupt probate judge, who 
made large allowances to her for the support of 
herself and family, I was left to settle the debts 
the best I could in after years, after I left Rock 
Island for Galena. 

The original town of Stevenson was laid off by 
the county commissioners in 1834, and the lots 
were sold at public sale bringing a very fair price 
for that early day,selling from $2 to $400 each, quite 
a number of my Galena friends invested in these 
lots. The site was considered a favorable one on 
account of its situation near the mouth of the 
beautiful Rock river. This river it was confi- 
dently suppossed would prove to be a navigable 
stream, at least as far as Rockford, 150 miles or 
more. Among the principal settlers in the village 
were John W.Spencer, the Cases, Jonah, Asahel 
and Charles. The numerous Wells family, who 
were scattered along the line of the river, com- 
mencing at the mouth of Rock River, settling 
along at different points at Moline, Hampton and 
Port Byron. These people all came originally 
from Vermont and New Hampshire, and were 
mostly enterprising men and good citizens. John 
W. Spencer took a leading part in every enterprise 



61 

for the upbuilding of the town. I found a num- 
ber of others living in the town and the vicinity. 
Dr. P. Gregg, William Bell, Wm. Brooks, Frazer 
Wilson, David Hawes and Ben Goble, the last 
two still living at this writing, the only three liv- 
ing of all who were here or in this vicinity in 
1836. y 

The beauty and fertility of the Rock river val- 
ley attracted many emigrants from the older 
states during 1836 and 1837, and a number of 
nourishing colonies were started in Rock Island, 
Henry and Mercer counties, and these colonies 
were all naturally tributary to Rock Island. These 
emigrants all brought more or less money to the 
country and trade was very brisk in the little 
town, and we thought the prospect was good for 
building up a large nourishing city. A number 
of new business houses were opened, and all were 
doing well. The town was full of enterprising 
young men, who would compare very favorably 
with any that we have at this time. New addi- 
tions were being laid off, and town lots were sell- 
ing briskly afc good prices. In 1837 the court 
house was built on the beautiful public square,and 
we all lent a hand in setting out the trees in the 
square, many of them still survive. The large trees 
still standing in the South west corner of the square 
Wm. E. Franklin and myself dug up on Credit 
Island, and brought them over in a skiff and set 
them out. There have been some additions made 



62 

to the buildings on the square in later years, 
and our county commissioners are talking of 
erecting a new and more costly structure perhaps 
on the old site or at some point near the dividing 
line between Molineand Rock Island. Davenport 
built a court house the same year, of about the 
same cost and size, but that was torn down some 
years ago and a much larger one has taken its 
place. 

In 1837 and 1838 the state commenced a most 
extravagant system of improvments all over the 
state, improving interior rivers — building rail- 
roads, and among the rest, an attempt to make 
Rock river a navigable stream by improving the 
rapids near the mouth of the river, and the rapids 
at Sterling, Work was commenced on Van- 
druff's Island, a hundred or more men were em- 
ployed in digging nearly opposite the Sears mill. 
Some remains of the ditch are still to be seen. No 
part of this work is being utilized by the present 
canal, as it takes a new and entirely different 
route. Whether the present will ever be completed 
is a matter of doubt, at any rate many years will 
come and go before its final completion. At pres- 
ent a large force of men are employed on this 
work. The employment thus afforded the labor- 
ing men of Rock Island, while the work is going 
on in this neighborhood is about all the direct 
benefit Rock Island will ever receive from it. The 
contractors who were employed on this old canal 



63 

were paid in state script. This evidence of state 
indebtedness at first passed at 50 per cent, dis- 
count, before fall it was difficult to pass it at 25 
cents on the dollar. The great scheme for mak- 
ing state improvements suddenly collapsed. It 
was but a bubble, at last state bank paper became 
almost worthless. Then state banks encouraged 
by the policy inaugurated by the Jackson regime, 
making state banks depository of the government 
funds, encouraging speculation all over the coun- 
try, every body was going to be rich, speculating 
in town lots. All sorts of wild visionary schemes 
were started, honest labor was at a discount. Only 
four or five years before what a different state of 
affairs existed. The United States bank with its 
various branches was making exchanges for all 
parts of the Union at a small premium, its paper 
was good every where, business was on a stable 
basis. Then Jackson commenced his onslaught 
on the bank with ail the power of the government 
at his back. A man without any knowledge of 
statesmanship, a strong willed vindictive man, 
having his own way, by the eternal. A man aside 
from his qualities as a soldier, wholly unfit for 
the position in which he was placed by the people 
as president. Like a wild bull in a china shop, 
he tore around with lawless force, only a destruc- 
tive force. The damage he done to the best inter- 
ests of the country financially and politically for 
many years can hardly be estimated. He and 



64 

that Mephistopoles, Martin Van Buren, foisted 
upon us that most pernicious system. "To the 
victor belongs the spoils." Before this, men who 
held office under the government were retained 
right along as under former administrations pro- 
vided they were faithful and honest. The Demo- 
cratic policy under Jackson and Van Buren has 
continued to produce a crop of swartouts some- 
times anually, sometimes oftener. Old Hickory 
missed what might have been the one redeeming 
act of his life, when he threatened to hang John 
C. Calhoun, the arch traitor of secession and did 
not fulfill his threat. The people of this new 
western country, when this financial bubble burst 
directly traceable to the overthrow of the United 
States bank by old Hickory, found themselves in 
a sad predicament. Nearly all the currency in 
circulation was almost worthless. What was call- 
ed good to-day was found to be worthless to- 
morrow. All business was paralized. The far- 
mers in this section had just begun to raise quite 
a surplus, but there was no market. Wheat was 
nominally 35 cents, and corn 10 cents per bushel. 
Most of the outlying colonies who had been doing 
their trading in Rock Island had expended all 
their ready means in improving their farms and 
what surplus they had they could not sell or ship. 
The merchants had large amounts outstanding 
which they could not collect. Everything was 
dead, at a standstill. If any building was done 



65 

at all it was done by a system of exchanges, swap- 
ping some one thing for another, without any 
money in the transaction. This state of affairs 
continued for some time, until about 1843, and 
the town grew very slowly. Quite a large num- 
ber of our people went to Galena and staying a 
while, and earning a little money in their various 
occupations,someofthem returned to Rock Island. 
Wm. L. Lee, Jerre Chamberlain, H. C. Harkelr- 
hodes, and some others whose names I forget went 
there. In 1840 the people of the whole country 
became tired and disgusted with the Democratic 
rule and the election of that year resulted in the 
election of Gen. Harrison and Tyler. Monster 
meetings were held all over the country. The 
largest political gathering we have ever had was 
held in Rock Island, and many eminent speakers 
w r ere here from abroad. Among them I recollect 
John Hogan, one of the most eloquent stump ora- 
tors I ever heard. He afterwards settled in St. 
Louis and was elected a member of congress for 
two terms. I met him in St. Louis at the cham- 
ber of commerce in 1890 and had a long talk with 
him on old time subjects. During these hard 
times the country was overrun with lawless char- 
acters, horse thieves and counterfeiters, and oc- 
casionally we had to resort to lynch law to 
rid ourselves of them. A desperado from Iowa 
came into the town and robbed a boy of a few 
dollars. He was arrested and lodged in the old 



m 

log jail. It was some three or four months before 
a session of the court would be held to try him. 
So we concluded we would give him a trial by 
Judge Lynch. The jailer, Thomas Spencer made 
no resistance, so we started with him for the bluffs. 
Tim Babcock and myself locked arms with him. 
When we got to the slough, which then had only 
one narrow passway over it, betook to the muddy 
slough, soon breaking away from Tim and me. 
He was however caught on the other side and tak- 
en to the bluffs. Seven of us were appointed to 
give him seven cuts with a rawhide on the back. 
I recollect Ben Cobb and Ben Goble laid the rod 
on with all their might, Ben Goble is still living 
an old man of 81. 

Another instance. A young fellow was arrested 
fortryingto pass five dollar counterfeit gold pieces. 
He had quite a quantity of them in his possession, 
they were a miserable immitation of the genuine. 
We took him out to the woods, more to make him 
tell who were his confederates than anything else. 
He gave us a number of names fictitious probably, 
as we knew none of the persons named. The 
counterfeit money was taken from him. He was 
admonished to go and sin no more. 

One Sunday morning a man coming down 
Rock River early in the morning, and coming up 
to Rock Island by way of one of the sloughs dis- 
covered two skiffs moored to the shore, and some 
goods hanging on the trees. He reported it to 



67 

us. We had hoard the day before that a store had 
been robbed at Comanche. We started with a 
number of skiffs, well loaded with men who were 
ripe for the adventure. Some of us left our boats 
at the head of the slough, and two went down to 
the mouth of Rock River to head off the thieves. 
We all started on the keen run, and saw the trees 
strung with bolts of calico and clothing. I was 
fleet of foot and arrived first, just in time to see 
the two thieves breaking for Rock River. One of 
them seized a pair of pants as he left. It had been 
raining heavily the night before and they stopped 
in order to dry their plunder. By the time the 
two men reached the river, the boats were there 
ready to capture them. The one with the pants 
attempted to swim the river with the pants around 
his neck and would have drowned if the men 
in the boats had not rescued him. The goods 
were brought to town and left in the store of 
Andrews & McMaster. The old brick store, the 
first of the kind in Rock Island is still in exist- 
ance just east of the court house. 

The thieves were taken over to Iowa and had 
a trial, were convicted, and while in charge of the 
sheriff on their way to the penitentiary at Musca- 
tine, made their escape. 

John Wilson came here from New Hampshire 
and obtained a grant for a ferry across the river. 
Judge John W. Spencer, who married his daugh- 
ter for his second wife, afterwards became inter- 



68 

ested with him, and some years after Capt. T. J. 
Robinson obtained an interest. The ferry was 
always very well kept, and in after years be- 
came remunerative to the owners. Many attempts 
were made at different times to annul the char- 
ters obtained in Iowa and Illinois, but without 
success. Capt. Robinson who for many years has 
had control, an adroit manager, always succeeded 
in retaining the charter intact. Even after the 
government and the Rock Island railroad built the 
great free bridge it lias still remained a good pay- 
ing stock, being run across the river near the cen- 
ter of the two cities of Davenport and Rock Island. 
The defunct town of Rockingham was started 
in Iowa opposite the mouth of Rock river in 1836. 
It was supposed that this beautiful river would 
prove to be a navigable stream, and some three 
or four small steamers were built for this trade. 
The Harris boys built the Frontier, a very fine 
draft boat, and made one trip up the river as far 
asRockford during high waterin the spring. This 
boat was the first one to land at the present ferry 
landing, boats having landed before at what was 
called lower town, just below the Q depot. The 
w r ater was very shoal there and our enterpris- 
ing citizen, Henry Powars, built a wharf boat on 
which the boats could land. Spencer and Case 
the owners of their addition to the upper part of 
the city deeded the corner lot on first street near 
the present ferry landing toSmith&R. S. Harris. 



69 

I sold this lot for them to Jacob Riley in 1867 for 
$2,600, 80 by 160 feet. Another steamer called the 
Rock River was built by a Hungarian Count at 
some point above Rockford, called Matzalan. He 
brought the boat down the river and run 
her on the Mississippi. The count settled at 
Prairie Du Sac on the Wisconsin river. After- 
wards Rockingham was laid off by John H. Sul- 
ivan, a man full of energy and enterprise. He 
built and opened the first store in Rock Island, 
the one that was afterwards occupied by Miller 
& McMaster. Sulivan put up a saw and grist 
mill and induced a number of men of enterprise 
and means to settle in the incipient town : two 
Davenport Bros.. H. B. Brown and Sargent, after- 
wards of the firm of Cook & Sargent, Mr. Sar- 
gent was afterwards interested in the Northern Pa- 
cific railroad, and laid out a part of the city of Du- 
luth and the town of London, lying just north on 
ground gently sloping to the Great Lake. A num- 
ber of stores were erected, and a very fair com- 
mencement was made for a prosperous town. The 
county seat of Scott county was located there one 
season by importing voters from Dubuque, it was 
stated. The next year there was another contest 
for county seat between Rockingham and Daven- 
port, in which Davenport won the victory by a 
handsome majority, that majority was made up 
largely by imported votes from Rock Island. 
Rockingham imported a good many from Dubu- 



que, but not enough to win the day. We then 
considered the town at the mouth of Hock river 
to be a much stronger rival than Davenport. One 
main cause of the downfall of the new town was 
its situation on low flat ground, subject to over- 
flow nearly every year. A party of us went down 
in skiffs one season when the water was very high. 
We hitched our skiffs to the porch of the hotel 
which stood on the highest ground in the town. 
In about \$3S Davenport commenced to rill up. 
Antonie Leclaire had been living theresome years 
and had a large grant of land from the Indians, 
as well as one at Leclaire at the head of the rapids. 
Among the first settlers were D. C.Eldridge, who 
was I think the first postmaster: the Cook broth- 
el's. John Forrest ami his brother-in-law, Dillon, 
the father of Judge Dillon. John Forrest suc- 
ceeded Mr. Kldridge as postmaster. Judge Mit- 
chell, who married a sister of George Davenport's 
wife, Samuel Parker and Frazier Wilson, now of 
Rock Island and at this writing is still living. 
Antonie Leclair ami Col. Davenport, who lived 
on the Island, owned most of the town site, and 
were very liberal in their terms for lots to all who 
wished t<> invest. This and the beautiful site, un- 
equalled by any other on the great river, together 
with the rid) fertile soil of Scott county, all of which 
tributary to the voung city, give it a decided ad- 
vantage, over its neighbor across the river. So 
much for Davenport in olden time she has kept 



71 

steadily advancing ingrowth and prosperity and 
now has a population of about 35,000. the second 
city in population in the state. 

The first school we had of any kind in Rock 
Island was a private one, opened by a Mr. Hum- 
mer a bigotted tyranical old time calvinist. He 
required and expected his pupils to obey his be- 
hests both in and out of school hours. There 
was to be a dance in a few days and he forbid the 
young ladies to attend. Some three or four of 
them went notwithstanding he told them they 
must not. He asked one of them, Henrietta, 
Judge Garnsey's daughter, if she went to the ball, 
"I did" she said. "Take your hooks and go home, 
Miss Garnsey," he said. She was a proud spirited 
girl and felt very indignant at the insult put 
upon her, and as she went with the books in her 
arms she threw one of them at the reverend 
gentleman, hitting him on the head. That night 
an indignation meeting was held by the young 
men who called on the preacher and gave him 
just three days to pack up and leave. He left! 
I think there was no systematic endeavor to found 
publiclschools before 1844, during this interim 
my old time friend, (Ten. C. ('.Washburn, of Wis- 
consin, taught a private school. During the time 
he was here he was appointed county surveyor by 
the county commissioners to take the place of 
Oglesby, who I think resigned or died. Me went 
from hereto Mineral point. Wisconsin, and open- 



72 

ed a bank with Cyrus Woodman, a bank that al- 
ways paid specia on demand for its notes. He 
went into the war of the Rebellion. Had com- 
mand of the forces that attempted to open the 
Yazzo river during the seige of Vicksburg. Came 
out of the war a major general, was elected a sen- 
ator, and afterwards governor of his state, leaving 
at his death large bequests to the state for edu- 
cational and scientific subjects. A broad minded 
liberal man, the peer of his brother, E. B. Wash- 
burn. 

About this time Elton Cropper and one or two 
others made an effort to open public schools, but 
they were bitterly opposed by some of our well- 
to-do citizens, who ought to have helped them 
along, instead of opposing. Some years later my 
old time friend, George Mexter, obtained a spec- 
ial charter from the state organizing the Rock Is- 
land school district. Vesting in a board of 
five directors power to appoint teachers, to levy 
all necessary taxes for the support of the schools, 
and to annex any contiguous territory on petition. 
An excellent charter under which the schools are 
still running. Mr. Mexter took active interest in 
the public schools some years as director and presi- 
dent of the board. The system gradually devel- 
oped until at the present we have six large well 
constructed brick school houses, with 8 to 12 rooms 
each with a corps of some 45 teachers under the 
control and management of our efficient superin- 



73 

tendent, £. S. Kemble. I would mention as a per- 
sonal matter that I have acted as a director and 
president of the board some 10 or 12 years, dur- 
ing my residence here since 1866, and now in my 
old age, I, in order to keep and feel young, still 
visit the schools often, and frequently go out with 
the children of the schools in my neighborhood 
into the woods in the spring and fall and always 
enjoy the trip. 

We had a debating society made up mostly of 
the young men of the town; of those taking a lead- 
ing part in the debates were George Mexter, who 
is still living, Joe Wells who was afterwards 
elected Lieutenant Governor of the state; he was 
very eloquent, a genuine orator in subjects that in- 
terested him, Dr. Gregg, Win. E. Franklin, John 
W. Spencer, myself and J. Bernard Smith occa- 
sionally participated in the debates. One of the 
topics of debate was, "has the Negro race received 
more harm from the Whites than the Indians." 
Friend Mexter, I recollect gave a glowing descrip- 
tion of the high state of civilization of the Negro 
race in early times in Northern Africa, and the 
terrible crime the Whites committed in enslaving 
them in after years. He was answered that the 
people inhabiting Northern Africa did not belong 
to the negro race, but were Moors and Berbers. 
That the Indian race in America had been by 
the cruelty and greed of the whites, decimated 
and nearly swept from the earth in both North 
and South America. 



74 

Quite a large number of our population at this 
time came from Pennsylvania, some few from 
Kentucky. The first from this state was Col. 
Buford the father of Gen. N. B. Buford, Thomas, 
John and James. N. B. Buford took an active 
part in the Civil war, and distinguished himself 
in the battle of Belmont, where Gen. Grant was 
first brought into notice. Gen. John Buford was 
a distinguished cavalry commander in the army 
of the Potomac. The father, Col. Buford, was a 
large powerful man, rough in manner, but genial, 
a great admirer of the new city of his adoption, 
which he called, New Jerusalem. He built the 
first store on the levee, a small frame structure 
with a very high square front, gorgeously paint- 
ed to imitate granite. One day lie was out in the 
front looking at it. lie says, this building looks 
like a man clothed in a ruffied shirt and nothing 
else, lie and myself were t he first town trustees. 
About the only work I recollect we had done was 
to commence a ditch to drain the slough back of 
the town. The money to do the work was raised 
mostly from private sources, very little efficient 
work was done on this much needed improve- 
ment for many years after. Under Mayor, E. P. 
Reynolds' administration some fifteen years ago, a 
large substantial sewer was commenced and fin- 
ished atthe river embracing some fiveor six blocks 
and finally completed at this time to the head of 
the low ground in the slough. When the finan- 



rial collapse of 1837 struck and paralyzed the 
whole country, as I have said before, all improve- 
ment was at a stand still for a number of years 
in Rock Island, very little addition to the popula- 
tion was made for sometime. One of our enter- 
prising citizens, Henry Powars built the old Rock 
Island house which was very well kept at first by 
himself and afterwards by our old friend, David 
Haws, who was a model landlord, setting a good 
table, and his energetic wife always seeing to the 
kitchen department. It was kept for a number of 
years after by B. and I. Vancourt. There were two 
other small hotels, one was kept by Mr. Buffam, 
the father of a number of boys among whom was 
John Buffam, for a long time county commission- 
er from Adalusia. The Butfara housewas on the 
south side of the street opposite the court house. 
Old man Bentlev kept the other on sixteenth 
street near the river. 

Joseph Knox. George Mexter, Judge Drury, 
Samuel Andrews and Ben Cobb came here in 
1837. Old Joe Conway was clerk of the court, 
magistrate and postmaster. He and his brother 
Miles came \\^w from Madison count v. lib The 
principal place of resort for many, was Cobb's 
saloon. Joe Knox and old Joe Conway were gen- 
erally very regular attendants there, always en- 
gaged in playing euchre forthedrinks, when they 
could induce anyone to play with them. Joseph 
Knox was a very talented and brilliant lawyer, a 



76 

finished orator. He might have taken a leading- 
part in the politics of the state, but for his disso- 
lute habits. He moved to Chicago many years 
ago, and died there. We had a number of noted 
quaint characters here: Judge Garnsey and his 
son, Charles, the judge was formerly a member 
of congress in the state of New York, they both 
took a leading part in the Harrison campaign of 
1840 and were rewarded by being appointed as 
receiver and register for the land office at Dixon; 
Old man Naylor, who had a store and started the 
first distillery just below the Barnes estate's prop- 
erty. He was the butt and laughing stock ofthe 
whole town and people were always playing jokes 
upon him. One of them was this, he married a 
young wife of 16. On the night of his marriage, 
after he and his young wife had retired, a dele- 
gation went to his house and called him out. They 
took him to the Rock Island house and made him 
order a basket of champaign for the crowd. Keep- 
ing him in his shirtand drawers until near morn- 
ing. One day when he was traveling in a steam- 
boat, the boat being somewhat crowded, his state 
room was in the ladies cabin. After dinner the 
day being warm he went to his room disrobing 
all but hisshirtand drawers. Some of his waggish 
friends took a bucket of water and throwing it on 
him, those outside the door raised the cry, "The 
boat is sinking!" "The boat is sinking!" This 
aroused him from his slumbers and he rushed 



77 

out among the ladies, only to find that another 
joke had been played upon him. 

In the fall of 1839, Mr. Andrews and myself 
bought quite a large stock of goods in St. Louis 
which were shipped quite late, as the winter set 
in early in November. Some of the goods only 
got as far as Hamburgh, but most of them were 
stored at Louisiana, Mo., by the clerk of the boat, 
my old friend Capt. D. N. Dawley. He was 
one the most efficient and reliable clerks on the 
river and served on a number of boats for more 
than thirty years. I went down to Louisiana in 
December, rented a store and sold quite a quan- 
tity of the stock, with a portion of the goods I load- 
ed up three ox teams, and Ben Cobb took charge 
of the teams for Rock Island. Early in March I 
started for Rock Island, coming by boat to Keo- 
kuk and from there on horse back, rather an un- 
pleasant ride, the weather was raw and cold. We 
found that we had a rather large stock of high 
priced goods on hand, and concluded to try a ven- 
ture on Rock river. We bought a small keel boat of 
about 50 tons, loaded her up mostly with grocer- 
ies with a crew of two men, myself as clerk or 
supercargo, and Ben Cobb as captain. We left 
town and got along fine until we struck the rap- 
ids just below Sears mill. We tried to get over 
all one day without any success. About one hun- 
dred men were there at work on the canal near 
by, and I hired a number of them to help us over. 



78 

They took hold each side of the boat and lifted us 
over, it took all one day, and then we went on our 
way rejoicing, landing near night just above and 
opposite Carrs ferry. When w r e got here we found 
our boat was leaking badly, and we had to keep 
the pumps going nearly all night. There was 
considerable wind blowing and we were lyingon a 
muddy bottom. The mud and the soaking of 
the water stopped the seams, and we had very 
little trouble after with a leaky boat. Stopping 
along the river wherever there was a settlement 
to supply the wants of the people, we came to 
the Sterling rapids, but had no difficulty in get- 
ting over them. We stopped at Portland, lying 
a short distance below Prophetstown some two 
weeks, as here we found a large settlement of well- 
to-do farmers, with whom we opened a brisk 
trade. Here 1 became acquainted with 1. 1). Seely 
an enterprising go ahead man, much respected in 
that section of the country. Just above Portland 
I found a »on of Professor Dwight, of Harvard 
college. He had a large beautiful farm in agreat 
bend of the river, a very comfortable good sized 
log house. 1 took dinner with him in his bach- 
elor quarters, and found him to be a very agree- 
able cultivated gentleman. Some years later I 
met a man who was his foreman on the farm, at 
the time I was there. I met him on the line of 
the North Missouri railroad, he was a regular cor- 
respondent of the New York Tribune at the time. 



7!> 

In talking about Mr. Dwight he told me that on 
one Sunday morning he found Dwight dressed uj> 
in his best, with white kid gloves walking up and 
down on his porch. He asked him what lie was 
dressed up for, as there was no one to see him. 
His reply was "God sees me," that is enough. We 
stooped some time at Dixon, cpiitea thriving town 
with a number of stores. Henry and My res F. 
Truett, two of my Galena friends in after years 
had a store here. The town was named after Mr. 
Dixon the first settler, and who owned and run a 
ferry for many years there. A short distance 
above we came to Grand De Tour, found a narrow 
canal cut across the great bend of the river form- 
ing a good water power, and a grist and sawmill 
in operation. Quite a number of Moline friends 
came from there, John Deere, Mr. Hem m way and 
a number of others came to Moline a few years 
after. We made our slow toilsome way up the 
river as far as Rockford. Whenever we came to 
swift water which occurred quite often, we had 
all to take a hand at the setting poles. At one 
place below Rockford we found the current so 
swift we could not stem it. So we hired an old 
horse to help us ovei with a towline, but the cur- 
rent proved too strong for the horse, the boat 
striking a strong current commenced drifting 
down stream, throwing the horse on his side un- 
til he came to a rocky ledge and acting as an an- 
chor the boat was stopped. 



80 

Rockford at this time had some 1,500 to 2,000 
people a beautiful thriving town, with an improv- 
ed water power. We, of course could do nothing 
here, so we turned our bow down streams. This 
trip satisfied me that Rock river could not besuc- 
cessfully navigated by steam boats unless a large 
amount of money was spent in improving the 
navigation. Our venture was not a very profi- 
table one, but still we did not lose any money, 
and sold off our surplus of goods. This whole 
Rock River valley was so beautiful, with groves of 
timber scattered all along its banks and rich gen- 
tly rolling prairies that it attracted more atten- 
tion and drew a larger and better class of popula- 
tion at this early day than any other part of the 
state. In the spring of 1840 I married my wife, 
the daughter of Wm. Brooks, who came from 
Northern New Hampshire in the fall of 1835 com- 
ing all the way with his wife and three children: 
Wm. E, George and Jeannette, in acarriage, and 
sending their household goods round by New 
Orleans. They came here in November and moved 
into what was called the Farham or Ferry house, 
which stood until about 1875 just below the Gable 
mansion. The next year he built a hewn log 
house on the corner lot on second street, west of 
the opera house. A few years later he erected 
the frame dwelling on what is called the Brooks 
farm on Fifth avenue. There is quite a story 
connected with the entry of this fractional quarter 



81 

section of land at the land office at Galena. Win. 
Brooks before starting for Galena to enter this land, 
learned that John H. Sulivan, a much younger 
man intended to go on the first boat to Galena, to 
enter the same piece of land, the boat was due in 
the morning and Mr. Brooks knew that in the 
race up the steep bank at Galena to Bench street 
where the land office was situated, Sulivan would 
outrun him. He consulted with Charles Eames, 
his brother-in-law, and they concluded that Mr. 
Eames should start that night on a good horse 
they had and try to beat the boat, and that Mr. 
Brooks should go on the boat taking the specie 
along with him to enter the land. Mr. Eames 
started in the afternoon, stopping at Port Byron 
that night. His next stop was at Mr. Pierce's, at 
Savanna, who gave him a fresh horse to continue 
his night ride. Mr. Eames had been over the 
road before and was familiar with the route. He 
passed by Pilot Knob, Hinckley's Mound and the 
little rugged city soon came in view at about 9 
o'clock in the morning. As he rode down the 
steep hill in East Galena, he saw in the distance 
down the little winding river the smoke of a steam 
boat. He soon reached the land office and made 
the application for the land, telling the officers 
that his brother-in-law would be on the first boat 
with the money. As he came down the hill he 
met Sulivan on the keen run. When Sulivan 
went into the office and found that the land was 



82 

entered he would not beleive it at first until he 
saw Mr. Brooks come in with the money and pay 
for the land. They had made the voyage togeth- 
er and had talked on various subjects, of every- 
thing except the entry of the land. A few years 
after this, Mr. Brooks put up a substantial farm 
house which is still standing. At this time it was 
all or nearly all heavily timbered. He obtaind 
some apple seeds from a barrel of rotten apples 
and started a nursery from which he set out a 
large orchard of some fifteen acres on the west 
side of the so-called Columbian grounds. These 
trees he afterwards grafted and in a few years rais- 
ed large quantities of apples which were quite a 
source of revenue. He told his children that they 
would see the day when this land lying between 
the two towns would be worth $500 dollars per 
acre. His prediction was fulfilled many years 
ago, and in 1892 the homestead portion contain- 
ing some twenty-five acres was sold to the Colum- 
bian syndicate for some sixty thousand dollars. 

The election of Harrison and Tyler in 1840 did 
not improve the times as the president died a few 
months after his election, and under Tyler his 
successor, who was a double dyed "Pro Slavery" 
man, the country went back under the control 
of the Democrats. This control has always prov- 
en disasterous to the best interests in the Northern 
states as the Democracy has always been, and 
still is to this day, under the control of these 



83 

Southern masters, who now, more than ever, act 
as a unit with the unprogressive Democracy. In 
consequence of the hard times in this section of 
country, this county was infested with many law- 
less characters. In Marshall county and those 
adjoining, they had a desperate gang called the 
Reeves gang, who had terrorized the country 
for a longtime. This gang of horse thieves and 
counterfeiters had their rendezvous at the house 
of old man Reeves. Himself and wife were both 
very able in ways of duplicity and rascality. Under 
the guidance and advice of these two, a set of des- 
perate characters were gathered together, who for 
a number of years preyed upon the community, 
They had so many connections and confederates, 
it was almost impossibleto prove anything against 
them. They uniformely escaped unwhipt of jus- 
tice. They finally became so bold and outrageous, 
that the best men of Marshall, and three or four 
adjoining counties collected together to the num- 
ber of four hundred, and went to old Reeves and 
told him he must leave. They loaded his house- 
hold goods upon wagons, his virago of a wife and 
three children following behind. They were all 
shipped on the steamer Dove down the Illinois 
river. The torch was then applied to the house 
and outhouses. The gang was broken up, scat- 
tered to commence depredation elsewhere. They 
came to Rock Island and murdered Col. George 
Davenport. They all belonged to this gang of 



84 

outlaws except young Baxter. This heinous crime 
occurred on the 4th of July, in 1846. The family 
with the servants had all gone over to Rock Island 
to celebrate the 4th. They wished him to go with 
them, but he declined to do so. He did not wish 
to leave the house alone, asa number of suspicious 
characters had been seen lurking around the 
neighborhood in canoes. He was provided with 
a brace of pistols, and took his position in a front 
room facing the river, leaving a large watch dog 
near*the rear entrance of the house. The robbers 
entered the house very quietly in the rear. They 
had secured as a confederate to guide them, young 
Baxter, acquainted with the family, and familiar 
with the dog. He going ahead of them, quieted 
the dog and opening the rear door secured admis- 
sion to the house, and going through the room 
where the Colonel was sitting opened fire upon 
him, wounding him in the thigh. They demand- 
ed his money and seizing hold of him roughly, 
draged him up stairs to the safe. It was open- 
ed and they found only a few dollars in specie, 
Baxter had told the robbers there was a large 
amount in the safe, which was true only a few 
days before, but Davenport had sent $10,000 to 
St. Louis only a few days before, so the robbers 
were disappointed, and departed taking a gold 
watch and the few dollars in silver found in the 
safe, giving young Baxter one dollar for his share, 
leaving the poor Colonel alone weltering in his 



85 

blood. The family returned at night and found 
him unconscious, and nearly dead from loss of 
blood. He lived but a few hours. This brutal 
assassination caused intense excitement through- 
out the country, and large rewards were oifered 
by the governor of Iowa and Illinois, and by the 
family. This induced the best detective talent of 
the country to use their efforts to capture the 
theives and murderers. Among others there was 
a Mr. Bonney, afterwards the author of "The Ban- 
dits of the Prairie," who offered his services. He 
was a shrewd sharp man, and kept watch of the 
operations of the gang. Their headquarters was 
at the house of one, Williams, who lived on Rock 
River, about 12 miles above Rock Island. Mr. 
Bonney obtained letters of introduction to the gov- 
ernors of iowa and Illinois, showing the nature of 
his business. He obtained unsigned bank bills 
on the state banks of Missouri and the Dubuque 
bank, in Iowa, and one or two banks ol Illinois. 
It did not take him long to fall in with some of 
the gang and showing them these unsigned bills 
he soon succeeded in gaining their confidence 
and learning all their plans, and who were the 
murderers of Col. Davenport, and when his plans 
were all matured they were arrested. John Young 
and Aaron, his brother were arrested at the house 
of their father eight miles east of Galena, his 
house was in a wild secluded place in the deeply 
wooded hills of Jo Daviess countv. They were 



80 

taken to Rock Island and lodged in jail. • Gran- 
nels Young another of the murderers was arrested. 
Fox was arrested in Indiana, but somehow man- 
aged to escape from the sheriff. Birch was arrest- 
ed at Peoria, and on trial turned states evidence, 
and was not hanged with the Longs and Youngs. 
They were convicted and hanged on Oct, 19th, 
1845, three months and a half after the murder 
was committed, (speedy justice was meeted out to 
them, without the long tedious delays of the pres- 
ent day. Witness the long, lingering trial of 
Guiteau for the murder of the lamented Garfield, 
and again the trial of that worthless vagabond 
Prendergast, for the murder of Carter Harrison, 
which at this writing has been in progress two or 
three weeks and may continue as much longer. 
The costs of these long lingering suits are paid, 
one by the government and the other by the mu- 
nicipality of Chicago.) 

On the day of execution an immense crowd 
were assembled. The sheriff had been notified 
that an attempt at rescue might be made, and 
then forewarned he had provided for the emergen- 
cy, by arming some seventy-five trusty citizens as 
a guard, as it was noticed there were many strange 
faces and hard looking characters about Rock 
Island some days preceding the execution. The 
elder Long made a very long and pathetic speech, 
and at its close there was a rush towards the gal- 
lows, but the guards faced about towards the crowd 



87 

ready to shoot if there was an attempt made at 
rescue. Whether there was one or not, or wheth- 
er the rush was only excitement of the crowd was 
not known. If it meant a rescue it was promptly 
foiled, and the execution proceeded without fur- 
ther excitement, and three of these blood stained 
.assassins were brought to justice. Fox, who was 
said to be the leader in the murder as before stat- 
ed and was never heard of again. Young Baxter 
who volunteered to lead the assassins to the house 
fled and was in hiding a long time. A rumor 
came that he was at his brother-in-laws near Mad- 
ison, Wisconsin. Dr. Gregg who had been untir- 
ing in his efforts to bring the murderers to justice 
procured a requisition on the Governor of Wis- 
consin and with an officer went in search of this 
foolish young man whoso cheaply sold his ser- 
vices to the outlaws, they found him at Haneys, he 
w^s returned to Rock Island, tried for murder and 
sentenced to state prison for life, dying a few years 
after of consumption. He made a confession in 
full, telling all the particulars of the plot. He 
was well connected. His brother who came from 
Virginia, was at the time in chargeof the Post on 
the Island under an appointment by the govern- 
ment, and the young man was admitted to the 
friendship and confidence of Col. Davenport, so 
that at the time, he knew of the large sum of 
money he supposed was in the house and gave 
the information to the robbers, they promising 
him a share of the plunder. 



88 

Davenport in 1840 had about 500 inhabitants, 
among the persons whom I recollect then living 
there were Dr, Barrows, a very skillful physician, 
who first settled at Rockingham and afterwads 
married an old acquaintance of mine, Mary Suli- 
van, sister of I. H.Sulivan, founder of Rocking- 
ham. The Dr. I think, is still living in Atlanta, 
Georgia, at the advanced age of 90. Judge James 
Grant, who came from North Carolina, was one 
of the most celebrated lawyers of Iowa. I first 
met him in Chicago in 1834, he had opened an 
office in a small shanty. I noticed his sign, "law- 
yers office" and stopped to have a power of attor- 
ney drawn, when finished I asked how much I had 
to pay, he said in his off hand way, "one dollar." 
He told me some years after his price for that kind 
of ducument would be at least five dollars. An- 
other pioneer was I. M. D. Burrows, w T ho came 
from Cincinnati in 1838. Soon after he opened 
a store and commenced, during the hard times, 
taking produce from the farmers, the first one to 
do so in this section of the country. His business 
gradually increased and developed until he was 
doing an immense business for that early day. 
He built a grist mill and packing house, and did 
more towards building up and developing Daven- 
port and Scott county than any other in these 
early days. I had a good many business tran- 
sactions with him while living in Galena and al- 
ways found him honest and honorable. Later in 



89 

life he became embarrassed and very poor, bat 
the trading spirit was so strong in him that only 
a few years ago I often saw him pass my house 
with his old horse and vvagon loaded with vege- 
tables for the Moline market. In 1880 he wrote 
and published a very interesting and readable 
book of some 200 pages. James Mclntoth a 
Scotchman from Dundee was another noted char- 
acter owning a portion of the town site and im- 
proving the same by laying outand improvingthe 
streets, a very genial man. He was Territorial 
and State binder for Iowa, and established thenrst 
book bindery in Davenport. Towards the close 
of his life he become somewhat embarrassed and 
despondent and ended his life by suicide at Mc- 
Gregor, Iowa. George L. Davenport the son of 
Col. G. Davenport after his marriage to Miss Clark 
settled in Davenport. He was married at the 
small Catholic church in Davenport by Father 
Mazuakette in 1839. Myself and wife before our 
marriage stood up with them, we afterwards went 
onto the island and spent the night at Col. Daven- 
port's house. George L, was very liberal and he 
and Antonie Leclaire erected many substantial 
brick buildings in after years. 

Antonie Leclaire the Indian interpreter and 
agent must not be forgotten, a half breed, French 
and Indian, as he said, "the very first white man 
who settled in Davenport." A very large fleshy 
man who had not been able to tie his shoes for 



90 

many years before his death. His house, the only 
one in 1833 on the site of Davenport stood on 
the gentle slope some distance below his mansion, 
built many years later; I recollect it as well as if 
I saw it only yesterday. Some logs or something- 
else had been drawn up from the river, making 
very plain marks up the slope. I was in his old 
log house a few years after attending a ball, I think. 
I recollect the largest room in the house was pap- 
ered in the most georgeous and oriental style, 
with tropical plants and palm trees. He was a 
most liberal broad minded man, willing and ready 
to help the needy and forward every public work 
for the benefit of the city. He died many years 
ago. John Forrest, who married my sister, set- 
tled in Davenport in 1838 He entered a tract of 
land on the hill which later he laid off into lots. 
He was postmaster succeeding D. C. Eldridge, and 
was a magistrate for many years, built the For- 
rest block on Brady street. He died in the fall of 
1893 at the advanced age of 88 years. 

Leclaireat the head of the rapids, early attract- 
ed attention as a favorable site for a town. Two 
of the Davenports, who formerly lived in Rock- 
ingham, settled there and established a boat yard 
for the repairing and building of boats. Capt. 
V. D. Dawley settled there at an early day. The 
father of Jas. B. Eades settled at the little town of 
Princeton, two miles above Leclaire. He came 
from St. Louis, having dune business there under 



91 

the name of Buchanan & Eades. Port Byron op- 
posite Leclai re, was laid off in 1836 o* 1 1837 by 
Archibald Allen and N. Belcher. Mr. Belcher 
came to Rock Island in 1835, and then moved to 
Port Byron. He was postmaster under Harrison, 
and after Harrison's death under the reign of 
Tyler, he received a letter from the postmaster 
general, requiring his written assent to a certain 
policy. The circular stated he must sign it. In- 
stead he wrote a most scathing letter, which was 
published in the Rock Island paper and also in 
the Galena Gazette. Joe Knox or some one here 
sent a copy of the paper to the department, and 
Belcher was forthwith removed. After the Repub- 
licans came into power he was again appointed 
and held the office for many years. He was a 
strong vigorous writer. Silas Marshall with his 
large interesting family, who married Belcher's 
sister, settled there about the same time and kept 
a good hotel. The young people of Rock Island 
used to often get up dancing parties in the winter, 
going up in large sleighs with plenty of hay in 
the bottom. They generally kept up the dance 
until morning. 

Sometime along in the fifties under a Demo- 
cratic and pro slavery administration, it was giv- 
en out that the secretary of war would sell the 
island, that it would soon be subject to entry, our 
Southern masters, thinking we had no need of a 
site for arsenals or forts at the North. It was in 



92 

the winter season when the report got out and 
there was a rush for the island to secure squatter 
claims, by erecting small shanties and living in 
them a few days. They all had to leave in the 
spring as the policy of selling the island was 
abandoned, it was said through the influence of 
Jeff Daviess, who at one time was stationed here 
before he was at Fort Crawford. If this was so, 
we will give him all due credit for the same. 

Lemuel Andrews my old partner in business 
was a shrew 7 d sharp man, a true friend to those 
he liked, but a bitter unrelenting enemy to those 
who crossed his path. He had somewhat of a 
legal mind. The lawyers said he was a good 
judge of land titles and his knowledge in this re- 
spect enabled him to acquire at cheap rates a 
number of tracts of land with defective titles and 
he also, while sheriff of the county accumulated a 
good deal by tax titles, which he perfected. We 
built together the first brick store which is still 
standing just east of the court house square, ad- 
joining the house Mrs. Cobb occupied so long. 
This house he also put up and occupied for some 
years. He erected a saw and grist mill combined, 
in the lower part of the city in 1841. He in con- 
nection with some others built the steamer, Clar- 
ion, atilizing the wreck of the old steamer, Bra- 
zil, which was sunk near the government toll 
wagon bridge by the ice. Later he erect- 
ed and occupied the large costly mansion for so 



93 

many years known as the Cable residence. He 
at the time owned a large tract of land in the 
neighborhood including all the land in the lower 
part of the Twenty-ninth or Elm street. He and 
Daniel A. Barrows owned a tract of land, some 
30 acres, embracing the ground where the 
lower Moline school house stands. The land was 
platted and divided between them and I after- 
wards sold most of the lots and the land embrac- 
ing the high bluff just south of the school house, 
to John Deere. The sale in all amounting to some 
$15,000. 

He was always deeply in debt, but always man- 
aged to escape from judgments and creditors by 
frequent transfers of his property. This cause has 
tended to somewhat complicate the titles of some 
of the property in which he was interested. When 
he died in 1860 his estate was deeply embarrassed, 
but under the wise judicious management of Judge 
Gould the administrator, some part of it was saved 
for his widow and two children, Lemuel and El- 
len. 

Elisha P. Reynolds came here in 1838 at an 
early day, he owned and built the house in which I 
now live at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Twen- 
ty-Ninth street. About this time he entered into 
partnership with Christopher Atkinson in the 
brick making business. Their first brick yard 
was located near the corner of Twenty -Ninth 
street and Seventh Avenue. Not finding enough 



94 

clay here they commenced making brick at the 
present site of the brick yard on the hill which 
has been so long used in brick making by Wm. 
Atkinson & Oloff, The first contract for railroad 
work was with the C. R. & R. I., in building the 
embankment to the approaches to their old line 
across the Island for the bridge which crossed the 
slough. In this he showed his natural shrewd- 
ness by using the sand found close at hand in- 
stead of haulingthe dirt from a distance, as other 
builders expected to do. In 1857 he took a con- 
tract to grade a number of miles for the Racine 
railroad, which was based mainly on bonds is- 
sued on farm mortgages given by the farmers 
along the line, At this time there was some hitch 
in obtaining the money that was due him for work 
done, and the financial crash of that year found 
him unable to pay the men he had employed in 
the work. In August of that year [ bought the 
place I now occupy of Hibbard Moore, paying a 
fancy price for it. An amount that would have 
bought six times the amount of real estate the 
next year, so I was told. Mr. Moore who was a 
good friend of Mr. Reynolds loaned him $8,000, 
which he has often told me, saved him from bank- 
ruptcy. From this time he continued to do more 
or less railroad work, until the firm of Reynolds, 
Salpaugh & Co., was formed, when they commen- 
ced taking many contracts for building railroads 
and bridges, sometimes making a good deal of 



95 

money and sometimes losing largely. They took 
a contract to build some 400 miles of road in 
Texas, on which each of the four partners engag- 
ed lost some $20,000. A few years after the part- 
nership of Reynolds and Salpaugh was disolved 
and the firm of E. P. Reynolds & Co., was reorgan- 
ized, composed of his three sons, in which Porter 
Skinner often had an interest. The new firm be- 
came very popular, having the reputation of al- 
ways doing good work and doing as they agreed. 
They built many hundreds of miles of road in the 
west and south, and made a good deal of money 
as long as E. P. Reynolds had the leading direction 
and management. He became somewhat infirm 
of late years, and some losing contracts were made 
by the boys, i contract in Indiana and another 
in Kentucky, proving very disastrous financially, 
culminating in losing over half a million of dol- 
lars. Mr. Reynolds credit was excellent, and lor 
the last three or four years before his death he 
borrowed sums ranging from $2,000 to $10,000, of 
his neighbors and of some of his employers, who 
were some of them left destitute, he thinking no 
doubt that he would be able sooner or later to re- 
place the money. He was elected mayor one or 
two terms, serving very acceptably. What- 
ever work he had done was well done. He open- 
ed and improved the best appointed farm in the 
county, in Pleasant Valley, converting valuless 
marsh land by a thorough system of drainage 



96 

into rich productive fields. The whole tract of 
440 acres is the most of it in a high state of culti- 
vation with large barns and other buildings for 
stock. Mr. Reynolds was possessed of a strong 
vigorous mind, his impulses were generally in the 
right direction, a good kind neighbor and re- 
spected by all. I have written somewhat at 
length of these two men, my old associates and 
friends, because I consider them both to have been 
leading representative men among the early pio- 
neers of Rock Island. 

In 1854 the first railroad to reach the Mississip- 
pi river was the Chicago & Rock Island. The con- 
tract to build this road was let to Henry Farnam 
and Joseph Sheffield, both coming from Connec- 
ticut, where they had considerable experience in 
rail road and canal building. They commenced 
this work in April 1852, and finished it to Rock 
Island in February 1854. The main direction of 
this work was under the direction and manage- 
ment of Henry Farnam, who with indomitable 
energy pushed it through to completion in four 
months less time than the contract called for. 

Our old neighbor John Warner and Wm. 
Whitman took large sub-contracts for grading, 
and after the completion of the road, a company 
was organized to build the bridge across the Mis- 
sissippi river. John Warner had the contract for 
building the stone peers and abutments. This 
work was done in 1855. The Chicago and Galena 



97 

railroad was commenced some two years before 
and had only reached Elgin, when the Rock 
Island road was commenced, and Mr. Farnam was 
anxious to reach the Mississippi first, which he 
did, some two years before. 

Completion of the Chicago & It. I. It. It. to Rock 
Island. The Great It. It. Excursion to St. Paul. 

The Galena road was finished to Freeport, 
fifty miles east of Galena, by the Chicago Galena 
compan} 7 , and after a delay of two years or more, 
the road was taken in hand by the Illinois Cen- 
tral who built it to Galena in the year 1856, and 
some months after was extended to the Mississip- 
pi river opposite Dubuque. The Chicago direc- 
tors were afraid of the heavy work through the 
rough Jo Daviess hills, the deep cut and heavy 
grade at Scales Mound, and sold out their birth- 
right to the Central. Win. B. Ogden, a broad 
liberal minded man, who took a leading part in 
the road from its beginning, was bitterly opposed 
to the policy of selling out, or rather giving up 
their right to the Central. When the road reach- 
ed Rock Island in February there was a celebra- 
tion, a jolification, firing cannons, speeches, etc. 
But the great event was the railroad and steam- 
boat excursion to St. Paul, Minn. Mr. Farnam 
invited the stockholders and their families, and a 
number of the representative men of New Eng- 



98 

land and New York. Ex-President Filmore,. 
Thurston Ward, Chas. A.Dana, of the New York 
Tribune, and some six or eight other editors of 
leading Eastern papers, besides a number of col- 
lege professors, who were among the invited guests,, 
numbering in all some 600. On their arrival at 
Rock Island they were met by six fast and beauti- 
ful steamers belonging and owned in Galena, and 
engaged in the Galena, Dubuque and St. Paul 
trade, and given a free ride to St. Paul. The boats 
composing the fleet were the Golden Era. Capt. 
Hiram Bersie an old time friend and partner of 
mine in milling; Lady Franklin, Capt. Blakeley; 
The Galena. Capt. Orrin Smith; War Eagle, Capt. 
Smith Harris; The Sparkawk,Capt. Green. Two 
other boats joined the procession near Galena, 
taking many passengers from Dubuque and Ga- 
lena. The river^was high and often two boats 
would be joined together for miles, and passen- 
gers would pass from one to the other. On their 
arrival at St. Paul where they stopped two days, 
they were greeted and treated royally by the peo- 
ple. On Jtheir return all those who wished to re- 
turn east, by the way of Rock Island took passage 
on four of the fastest steamers, and reached Rock 
Island in less than thirty-six hours. This was 
the grandest excursion ever given on the great river 
and a notable event in the history of Rock Island 
and was far reaching in its effects on the rapid 
settlement of Northern Iowa and the new unde- 



99 

veloped state of Minnesota. It attracted wide at- 
tention in all the Eastern states, as nearly all the 
leading editors who enjoyed the excursion intense- 
ly, had long articles in their several papers, de- 
scribing the delightful scenery, through which 
they passed, and the immense resources of the 
Northwest. These reports and the comments of 
others to their neighbors on their return home, 
started a rush of emigrants for this new country. 
The magnificent steamers belonging to the Galena 
and St. Paul company were after this, usually 
crowded with emigrants, mostly coining in by the 
way of Freeport from the end of the unfinished 
Chicago and Galena railroad, by stage from Free- 
port and taking passage at Galena. This pros- 
perous state of affairs continued for two years. 
The little wharf at Galena being crowded with 
business, two or three boats leaving daily for St. 
Paul, until the Illnois Central reached the Mis- 
sissippi at Dunleith opposite Dubuque. 

There was quite a rapid trade sprung up in 
Rock Island after the completion of the R. R. New 
enterprises were started, new stores were erected, 
some manufactories, a large iron foundry was erec- 
ted by N. B. Buford, who also built a pork house 
and the large three story house on First street fac- 
ing the river, now occupied by our old able edi- 
tor of the Union, Walter Johnson. During this 
time Col. Chas Buford started the plow factory 
that is still in operation under a new company 
L.ofC. 



100 

and a new management. The coal banks out at 
Coal Valley were opened at an earlier day, by Ben 
Harper, Homes Hakes and S. S. Guyer, and they 
began to supply boats with coal and to ship north. 
I bought a number of barge loads for our steam 
flour mill at Galena, paying 12J cents per bushel 
delivered. These mines fell into the hands of P. 
L. Cable later, and proved a great source of profit 
to him under his wise management, giving his 
miners J of the gross product of the mines. He 
never had a strike under this system, clearly de- 
monstrating that under this system of sharing 
profits with the employes, strikes are avoided and 
labor is more likely to reap a proper share of their 
earnings; wherever and whenever this system has 
been inaugurated under well directed and honest 
management, it has uniformly proven a success. 
I believe that this is to be in the future the solu- 
tion of the trouble between labor and capital. All 
sorts of manufacturing can be carried on in this 
way, and even railroads might be run in this way 
were it not for the watered stock and the greed of 
many connected with the management of outside 
operations. For many years Mr. Cable had the 
monopoly of the coal trade, as he owned and con- 
trolled the railroad leading to the mines. These 
mines and the ones opened in Mercer county to 
which he built a railroad have been a constant 
source of a large yearly income. In the interval 
between 1854 and 1857 and later, a number of 



101 

banks were started by P. L. Mitchell & P. L. Cable, 
N. B. Buford; Birch & Blackburn opened one; 
and Marcus Osborn and Wm. Lee also opened a 
bank. 

The Financial Panic of 1857. General Suspension 
of nearly all Western Banks. 



When the crisis of 1S57 came on, these bank- 
ing institutions all went down except one, Mit- 
chell & Cable. The country seemed to be pros- 
pering at the time, but unlimited credits were 
given to almost any enterprise, speculation had 
received an impetus from the large amounts of 
gold brought from California. The first of the in- 
stitutions to fall was the one at Cincinnati which 
had many branches, and the main one in New 
York. They were allowing 5 or 6 per cent. on de- 
posits and many of our Western bankers made 
their deposits with the New York branches, de- 
positing all their spare funds and drawing against 
this branch whenever they sold exchange. This 
institution was the first brick to tumble in the row 
and a money panic seemed to seize the whole coun- 
try, and there was a general suspension of specie 
payments with most of the Western banks. Our 
old friends, Marcus Osborne and Wm. L. Lee, suc- 
cumbed to the storm. Mr. Osborne retired to the 
shades of a littietown on Lake Pepin and remained 
until the storm blew over. Wm. L. Lee went to Col- 
orado and recuperated his fallen fortunes, settling 



102 

and living in Chicago for many years after, dying 
a short time ago in Hot Springs, Arkansas. In 
1866, I bought of him the acre of ground on 
which stand the Telgler and Larkin houses. 

Real estate went down and everything was dead 
in the way of business for three or four years un- 
til the commencement of the Civil war. Many 
new branches of manufacturing industry had 
been started in Moline which were compelled to 
quit, some of them becoming bankrupt. Even our 
old valued friend, John Deere, was compelled to 
ask for an extension. Galena perhaps stood the 
onslaught better than any other city in the West, 
only one banking house being compelled to close 
and make a compromise with its creditors, the 
house of James Carter. He had deposited large- 
ly with the Cincinnati concern. He was fortunate 
in the outcome however, as in settlement he took 
some railroad securities at a low figure, which in 
a short time when the panic was over largely ap- 
preciated so that he was the gainer by the failure. 
He was the father of Leslie Carter, who had so 
much trouble with his extravagant actress wife. 
He was also connected with George Smith and 
Alexander Mitchell, of Milwaukee, in banking 
operations. 

As long as I am now writing about bankers, I 
might as well give some reminiscences connected 
with these three Scotch bankers, Carter, who lived 
in Galena, Mitchell in Milwaukee, and Smith in 



103 

•Chicago. James Carter came to Galena in 1843, 
he was started in the banking business, assisted 
hy his two Scotch friendsanddoneall the business 
through them. At this time the Corwith brothers, 
Henry and Nathan were the only bankers in Ga- 
lena, and dene a large share of the lead trade, 
buying the lead from the smelters and shipping 
it East by way of St. Louis. These cunning Scotch- 
men wished to have a share in this lucrative 
trade. The Corwiths continued to do the larger 
share of the ban king and lead business, their bank 
was a bank of issue, called the Galena bank, and 
is still at this writing carried on by the successors 
of the Corwiths. Sometime along in the50s, and 
before this time George Smith had* a banking con- 
cern called The Milwaukee Fire Insurance com- 
pany. . He also obtained possession of the charter 
of a bank at Atlanta, Georgia. It was his practice 
to send a large amount of his Milwaukee bank 
notes down to Atlanta for circulation there, and 
his Atlanta notes were brought north for circula- 
tion. Any bank that would not circulate this wild 
•cat money if they had any bills in circulation, 
they would be gathered up and sent to the bank 
for redemption in specie. In this way he forced 
a good many of the banks in this section to take 
and circulate his Georgia money. He commenc- 
ed this game on the Galena bank and also on the 
Mineral Point bank owned and controlled by C. 
C. Washburn and Cyras Woodman. These banks 



104 

would not touch the Georgia money; utterly re- 
fused to give it circulation. Jas. Carter as soon 
as he took in a few hundred dollars of the bills of 
these two banks would present them and demand 
the specie, and this circulation was very large in 
the mining region. These two banks concluded 
to play the same game on George Smith, and they 
quietly gathered up a number of thousand dollars 
of George Smith's Atlanta money and C. 0. 
Washburn afterwards Gov. of the State of Wiscon- 
sin, wended his way down to Atlanta and calling 
at the bank demanded the specie. They wished 
to redeem the bills with eastern exchange, but 
Washburn demanded the coin, and they com- 
menced counting it out as slowly as possible and 
borrowing all the coin in town the bills were re- 
deemed at last. Our two banks followed up the 
same system all one season, sending down mes- 
sengers every month to Atlanta with the Georgia 
money for redemption. George Smith at last 
cried "pecavi" and instructed Jas. Carter to stop the 
game and that was the means by which the weak- 
er banks of the country were relieved from taking 
this Georgia money. 



Removal From Rock Island to Galena in 1841, 



As before stated I married my wife in the spring 
of 1840. We were married by Rev. Stewart, who 
was induced to come here from Southern Illinois, 



105 

by Knox and Mexter and start a church it was 
called their church or society. Mr. Stewart was a 
very talented man, a good thinker and soon had 
quite a respectable congregation of persons who 
were not attached to any church. He afterwads 
became a follower of Emanuel Swedenburg's teach- 
ings. I met him some years after and heard him 
preach in a small church in St. Louis. 

We commenced housekeeping in a small brick 
house, the first brick dwelling erected in the town. 
It was built by and belonged to Sage & Bellows. 

As I have before stated all business was par- 
alized, little or no money was in circulation, and 
what little there was, was of doubtful value, and 
the little building or improvement thatwas made 
in any line of business was done by a system of 
barter or exchange of commodaties or labor. 

Underthis state of affairs I began to look around 
and see if I could find a locality where I could 
earn a living for my young wife and myself. 
About this time my cousin, E. B. Kimball, of Ga- 
lena, who had been in business therefor four or 
five years wished to change his location by open- 
ing a commission house in New Orleans, at the 
request and wish of Henry Cor with, who after- 
wards married his wife's sister, a daughter of Jas. 
G. Soulard. He wished him to go there to for- 
ward the large amount of lead that was being sent 
from Galena to New York by his firm of Henry 
and Nathan Corwith. Mr. Kiml all wished me to 



106 

come to Galena and take charge of what business 
he had to leave unsettled. He promising to send 
me consignments of sugar, coffee and mining rope 
and giving me also the agency for the sale of Laff- 
lin's blasting powder. So we packed up a few house- 
hold goods, and with them took passage on the 
steamer Frontier with Capt. Smith Harris. When 
I left Rock Island I was liable for debts contract- 
ed in the two firms with which I had been connec- 
ted, to the amount of $20,000, some $15,000 in the 
firm of Miller & McMaster, and about $5,000 in 
the firm of Andrews & McMaster. The first I 
compromised and settled in 1848. Mr. Andrews 
settled the other in the course of four or five 
years. Of course with this heavy liability hang- 
ing over me I could not with safety, do any thing 
except a commission business. We found a good 
comfortable house on the south side of the steep 
hill standing just opposite theold Harris mansion 
near the foot of Gear street, both are still there. 
We were made very welcome by my many old 
friends of 1834. I took a store just east of the 
large double brick store at the head of the levee, 
and commenced anew to try and build up my 
shattered fortunes. As I a done strictly commis- 
sion business, I soon received many consignments 
of various kinds of goods besides those sent me by 
my cousin Kimball. I received large consign- 
ments of apples from St. Charles, Mo., amounting 
in 1843 to some 2,000 barrels and soon had all I 



107 

could do, my business steadily increasing. The 
winter set in early in 1842. On the 14th day of 
November, steam boats were taking on lead for St. 
Louis. I shipped a number of tons on the Brazil 
expecting it to get through to New Orleans and 
be shipped east to meet some bills falling due 
soon, made by Mr. Kimball. The weather was 
quite mild until night, when it turned suddenly 
very cold, and within thirty-six hours the Mis- 
sissippi was closed from Galena to St. Louis. The 
Brazil got to Rock Island and wintered there. 
Many other boats were caught on their way up 
the river with supplies, at different points, and 
the goods on many of them were hauled by teams 
during the winter on the ice. A furious snow 
storm set in on the 15th, falling to the depth of 
18 inches. Heavy snow covered the ground all 
winter. The cold was intense, the thermometer 
marking 20° to 30 ° below. The month of March 
ranged up to the close 15 ° to 25 ® . The river was 
not open for navigation before the 15th of April. 
Lake Pepin was closed until the 20th of May. 
This winter was decidedly the coldest of any with- 
in my recollection of the past sixty years. About 
all we could do in Galena this winter was to stay 
at home and keep up the fire. The output of the 
mines kept steadily increasing. New and valu- 
able leads were being opened in Illinois and the 
adjoining lead district in Wisconsin. The busi- 
ness of the little city was steadily increasing. 



108 

Stages and hacks were leaving almost daily for 
the different mining towns of Shullsburg, Fair- 
play, Hazel Green, Mineral Point and New Dig- 
gings. The levee would be so thickly covered 
with piles of pigs of lead, that it was often diffi- 
cult in the spring to find a place to land goods 
from the steam boats. 



Sketches of some Leading Galena Men in Early- 
Days. 



At this time and later all the adjoining terri- 
tory in Wisconsin and east, as far as Rockford 
and South as far as Rock Island was more or less 
tributary to Galena, as Chicago was then no com- 
petitor for this trade. A little later large capa- 
cious brick stores began to take the place of the 
frame tenements along the levee and along the 
line ot Main street. Gold and silver being the 
currency as I have before stated, the breaking and 
insolvency of banks had very little effect on the 
prosperity of the city. Quite a number of the 
older firms who were in business in 1834 had 
either failed or gone out of business. Hoper Peck 
& Scales, Little & Wann, Campbell & Morehouse 
had failed. R. W. Brash, Farnsworth and Fergu- 
son, G. W. and I. Atchison, and M. C Comstock 
had quit business. M. C. Comstock, whose store 
was down near the foot of the levee, sold out 
his stock to that old rusher Hesikiah H. Gear. 
Gear went into the store and told Comstock he 



109 

wished to buy him out, and told him, "I will give 
you so much for thisside of the store, and so much 
for that side." Mr. Comstock a shrewd merchant 
at once accepted his offer, as the price offered was 
a good round one, for an old stock of goods. In 
1835 and 36, Godfrey &Gillman, of Alton, in con- 
nection with some other Boston capitalists under- 
took to build up a town there as a rival to St. 
Louis, At this time the state bank had branches 
in many parts of the state, one at Alton, and one 
at Galena. As a means to this end they under- 
took to control the lead trade of Galena, and they 
made my old friend Gear, their agent, supplying 
him for awhile with unlimited means. His first 
purchase was Comstock's store, and then he com- 
menced buying lead, running the price up from 
week to week, buying furnaces and mineral and 
advancing the price of mineral largely. He was 
a very popular man with the miners during this 
time. He advanced the price of lead untilit was 
about equal to the price in New York. It is told 
of him that one day he went to a bank at Galena 
and wished the cashier to let him have $100,000, 
and as cooly as if he expected to get it, offering 
his draft on Godfrey, Gillman & Co. This was 
kept up for some months. The lead was shipped 
to Alton and some of it forwarded east, but the 
larger part was held at Alton and finally had to 
be sold at a heavy loss, and the attempt to build 
up Alton as a rival to St. Louis was a miserable 



110 

failure, bringing disaster upon all concerned. Our 
state bank, which had been advancing means to 
many other projects equally visionary owing to the 
financial crisis of 1837, went down, suspending 
specie payments, bringing loss and ruin upon 
thousands. Captain Gear, who had some means 
of his own, saved something out of the wreck. He 
owned a number of acres of land south of Gear 
street. When the Illinois Central reached Ga- 
lena their route over the river passed through the 
captain's land at a rocky point where there was a 
deep cut of some 40 to 50 feet. I think he was 
awarded $20,000 first as damages. A most ex- 
travagant price, and with the ^proceeds he built 
himself a large substantial brick house under the 
bluff overlooking the railroad. Sometime after 
the road was built the Captain discovered that the 
track of the road at the east end of the cut for a 
distance of about 50 feet in length and two feet 
wide was on his land. He demanded a round 
sum as damages, which the road refused to pay. 
To force them to pay he planted a strong post 
close to the track and hitched a heavy chain to 
the post and track. The road set a few men to 
work on the other side and cutting down the rocky 
bank quietly moved the rails off his ground, much 
to the disgust of the valiant captain. He was a 
visionary obstinate man, but withal had many 
good traits of character. His brother an Episco- 
pal clergyman, occasionally preached in Galena. 



Ill 

He was chaplain at Fort Snellingfor some years, 
and the father of Governor Gear of Burlington, 
Iowa. 

About this time or one or two years later Joseph 
P. Hoge, a noted lawyer, came here. He was elected 
a member of congress in 1844, I think, later he 
went to California and became very prominent, 
taking a leading part in the politics of that 
state. Sam Wilson, who was his law part- 
ner, went with him and w T as president of the con- 
stitutional convention held a few years ago, Judge 
Thomas -Brown was the father-in-law of Hoge. 
He was a character in his way, many amusing 
anecdotes are told about him. He was a man of 
strong natural sense, but somewhat illiterate. A 
man in one of the middle counties of the state was 
arraigned for murder. The jury brought him in 
guilt}', and the punishment was death. The old 
judge said to him, "Smith the jury have found 
you guilty, I feel sorrow for you, but you must be 
hung. Now what time would you like to be 
hung?" Smith replied he "did not care." "Well, 
you will be hung on the 27th of June. Mr. clerk, 
please look and see if the 27th comes on Sunday. 
The prosecuting attorney says "Judge it is usual 
to make some remarks to prisoners who are under 
sentence of death." "Oh, Smith understands it. He 
knows he is to be hung on the 27th of June. You 
understand it that way, don't you Smith?" 

The Judge's circuit covered a number of coun- 



112 

ties in Northern Illinois, including Rock Island 
and Henry counties. While holding court in 
Henry county, a number of Galena lawyers were 
down, and Joe Knox, Jos. Wells and a young law- 
yer, L. B. Waite, of Rock Island. Waite was always 
showing off his knowledge of Greek and Latin. 
One night when they all had their lodging in a 
large room of the hotel, Mr. Waite after asking 
the judge a number of questions, says "Judge how 
would you render this sentence." "The monelleri 
ninspresus." "Well, Mr. Waite, I think a free 
translation would be: The more you cry the less 

you ." A roar greeted this reply of the old 

Judge and some of the lawyers rolled out on the 
floor in their glee, and there was not much sleep 
in that room for some hours. The story stuck to 
young Waite for a long time. 

Thompson Campbell a brilliant young lawyer 
came to Galena from Pittsburg, he was elected a 
member of congress for one or two terms. He 
was an eloquent public speaker and were it not 
for his dissipated habits, he might have become 
the foremost man in the state. His house adjoin- 
ed mine on the steep side of the hill. About the 
time that it was left to the people to vote on a pro- 
hibitary law he had reformed, and I went with 
him over a part of the country trying to arouse 
the voters in favor of the law. When the day of 
election came I stood at the polls all day challeng- 
ing many foreigners who had no right to vote, 



113 

who were brought there by the saloon men. The 
measure was defeated by an overwhelming major- 
ity in the state. This measure of reform has not 
been submitted to the vote of the people since. 
Genial Tom Campbell emigrated to California 
some years later, and died there some fifteen years 
ago. 

Judge Drummond and Wm. H. Bradly were 
living in Galena at this time. Mr. Bradly was for 
many years clerk of our Circuit Court in Jo Daviess 
County. When Mr. Drummond was appointed 
judge of the United States court at Chicago, Brad- 
ly was selected by him as clerk of that court, a 
position that he held until a short time before his 
death which occurred in 1890. Judge Drummond 
resigned his position some years ago and was suc- 
ceeded by Judge Blodgett. They both were very 
able men and were recognized as the ablest of any 
in the West. Another keen shrewd lawyer whom 
I knew in 1834 that I forgot to mention, who re- 
sided in Galena was Ben Mills who was consider- 
ed the most astute lawyer in Northern Illinois. 

In 1844 I went into partnership with Edward 
Hempstead, the son of Chas. S. Hempstead, who 
settled in Galena in about 1828 coming from St. 
Louis. He was the brother of Edward Hemp- 
stead, a prominent man in the early history of St. 
Louis, and was a representative to congress from 
that state soon after it was admitted into the 
the Union. We neither of us had much capital 



114 

to start upon, bat were always able to get all the 
funds necessary to carry on our business^ of our 
good friends, Henry and Nathan Corwith. My 
partner in 1845 married the sister of the Corwith's. 
Henry Corwith the elder brother came to Galena 
in 1836. He opened a clothing store on the cor- 
ner of Morrison's ally. I have often heard him say 
that the first work he done was to plaster the store, 
they had learned the trade on Long Island, New 
York. His uncle Chas. H. Rodgers was a part- 
ner, who lived in New York. He and his brother 
continued in the clothing trade until about 1843. 
In the mean time they had gradually drifted into 
the lead trade and in a few years they were doing 
the larger share of this lucrative business and in 
the meantime established the bank of Galena. 
Samuel Hughlett another strong character, an 
early settler in this region, a successful miner and 
smelter took a large blo<-Jk of stock in the bank, 
which is still, I believe held by his heirs. In 184G 
I took my first trip to the falls of St. Anthony, an 
excursion party of some 50 ladies and gentlemen 
took passage with Capt. Orrin Smith. We all en- 
joyed the beautiful scenery, all along our course. 
It was the first of July, about the time we reached 
Prairie Du Chien, a cold change set in. In a few 
hours after the most of us were taken with sneez- 
ing. The attack was something like la grippe of 
the present day, only it was soon over, and was 
not followed by any bad after effects. When we 



115 

arrived at the fort, the Captain who had a large 
quantity of freight to discharge, gave us the whole 
day in which to visit the falls, also putting up a 
good substantial lunch for our dinner. The offi- 
cers of the fort kindly furnished us with three or 
four mule teams and rough wagons for our trip 
over the broad beautiful prairie, between the fort 
and falls. We did not stop at the Minehaha falls 
as we knew nothing about them, but crossed the 
stream that dashes over the falls just above. We 
stopped just below the falls of St. Anthony on a 
sloping grassy bank on the north shore and spread 
out our repast on the grass, enioying the music of 
the falling waters. The fall at this time was near- 
ly a perpendicular one, of about 50 feet before the 
present massive work thatat present controlls this 
immense power was built. Much ofthe loose sand- 
stone rock had crumbled away and within a few 
years the falls were no longer perpendicular. The 
only building visible in this neighborhood was 
an old dilapidated saw mill, erected some years 
before by the government. St. Paul had no ex- 
istauce, the present site was called Pigs Eye. The 
origin of this name I never heard. It may have 
been named from a cave washed out by a small 
clear stream from the soft white sand rock that 
underlies this section of the country. The cave is, 
or was situated a short distance above the land- 
ing. The opening to the cave looked at from a 
distance, looked like an eye. A few years after, the 



116 

engineer in chief of the Illinois Central railroad 
and myself, when that road gave an excursion to 
St Paul, explored this cave. We had a candle to 
light our way. After going in ahout 100 feet the 
passage became so low and narrow that we were 
glad to beat a retreat. A brewing company after- 
wards utilized it for a beer cellar excavating the 
soft sand rock, and making a large spacious room 
in front. The Indians had some legend connect- 
ed with this cave. 

During the winter of 1846, I left Galena to go 
East to buy a stock of goods for our firm. I went 
all the way by stage to Buffalo, passing through 
Canada by way of Detroit, traveling night and 
day, a very uncomfortable tedeous journey. At 
Detroit a man by the name of Bates joined us, he 
was a leading whig editor of Detroit. A great ad- 
mirer of Horace Greely, with whom he was well 
acquainted, having been an apprentice with him 
in some office a few years before. We went through 
Canada on runners, when near Buffalo, just be- 
fore crossing above the falls our sleigh which was 
a covered one upset, and a woman, who was trav- 
eling with us had to be pulled out of the top. It 
was at night, and the ice was running quite heav- 
ily, it seemed to me a very perilous trip, but we 
arrived safely on the other side; stopping over 
night, I took the New York Central for Boston, 
my destination. Arriving there I presented my 
letters of credit and introduction, and was 



117 

treated very kindly by Mr. Winslow, the grocer 
whom I had met before in Galena. While in 
Boston I met an old St. Louis acquaintance, 
Lyman Farwell, of the firm of L. and A. G. Far- 
well in St. Louis, and of Fay & Farwell in Bos- 
ton. After purchasing what goods I needed in 
Boston, I started on my way to New Orleans by 
way of New York. When just out of New York 
we encountered a furious snow storm in New 
Jersey, and were detained some hours. I went by 
way of Baltimore, arriving there in the night, 
from there taking the stage over the Alleghanies 
to Pittsburg. In the journey from New York to 
Pittsburg [ had for a companion a brother of 
Charles Atkinson, a genial pleasant gentleman. 
From Pittsburg to New Orleans I took passage on 
a steam boat paying twelve dollars only, for a cabin 
passage, on the way down the Mississippi, the boat 
stopped one morning at Baten Rouge. The scene 
that greeted me was a strange one, just coming 
from the cold icy North. The weather was balmy 
as spring, the song of the birds was heard coming 
from the bright green Magnolia trees. I spent 
two weeks in New Orleans with my cousin, E. B. 
Kimball, buying a large stock of groceries, con- 
sisting of sugar, molasses and coffee. I was not 
very favorably impressed with the city of New 
Orleans, with its flat wet surface, walking along 
the brick pavements, the water would rise up be- 
tween the bricks. The dead had to be laid awav 



118 

in vaults built on a heavy wall two or three feet 
above the surface of the ground. 

Most of the steam boats engaged in the lower 
Mississippi trade carried both frieght and passen- 
gers. We took a very large and roomy boat with 
good accommodations for passengers. The boat 
I came up on was full of passengers, belonging 
mostly to St. Louis. Capt, Orrin Smith and Capt. 
Throckmorton were of my fellow passengers. We 
arrived at Cairo, at the mouth of the Ohio, on the 
6th of March, and found the Mississippi full of ice. 
We were detained here six days before we could 
proceed on our journey. The evenings were us- 
ually passed in dancing. We had ample time to 
explore the famous town of Cairo, with its high 
embankments, raised to keep out the Ohio and 
Mississippi floods. The first work done here in 
constructing these levees was performed by Capt 
King, an old time resident of Rock Island. While 
on our way up, Capt. Smith and myself made a 
bargain with Capt. Throckmorton to take our 
freight to Galena at fifty cents per 100 pounds. 
When we arrived at St. Louis we learned that the 
upper river was very low, and boats were asking 
and getting 75 cents per lOO. Capt. Throckmor- 
ton performed his verbal agreement honorably 
and fairly, fortunately meeting a slight rise al the 
lower rapids, and this ended my long weary win- 
ter journey of two months or more. 



119 

Mormanism in Illinois. 



In 1833 the Mormons emigrated from Western 
New York to Jackson county, Missouri. They 
settled at and began to build a town called Inde- 
pendence, Here pretending the Lord had given 
them the whole country, they being his saints, 
they were to possess the whole earth eventually. 
They committed some petty offences. They were 
so arrogant that people became disgusted with 
them and drove them out. They next settled down 
in Caldwell and Davis counties, and built up a 
city called Far West. In their new place of abode 
they seemed to learn nothing from their disasters 
in the past, but still claimed to be God's chosen 
people and that they were entitled to take posses- 
sion of the land. They continued to be more and 
more aggressive in their demands. It was alleg- 
ed that they were continually committing depre- 
dations on the Gentiles, by robbery and petty thefts. 
This state of affairs continued for two or three 
years. The clerk of the county being a Mormon 
would serve no writs against a Mormon. They 
defied the state all through. The neighboring 
people assembled in arms to drive them out of 
the state. Armed bands of Mormons were roam- 
ing about, plundering and robbing. Armed col- 
lissions occurred in which a number were killed. 
Finally Gov. Boggs called out the military under 
the command of Gen. Lucas and Gen. Doniphan, 



120 

with orders that the Mormons should be extermi- 
nated or driven from the state. The Mormons 
were all under arms, intending to resist, but they 
were surrounded by an overwhelming force in 
their city of Far West, and were compelled tosur^ 
render at discretion. The leaders including the 
prophet, Joe Smith were tried by court marshall 
and condemned to be shot for treason. Gen. 
Doniphan, a good lawyer knew this course would 
not be lawful or right, and the leaders were re- 
manded to jail to be tried for murder, arson and 
robbery. But they finally made their escape out 
of the state before they were brought to trial. The 
whole body of Mormons came to Illinois during 
the years of 1838 and 1839. While I was at 
Louisiana in 1838 I saw many of them leaving 
the state, crossing the Mississippi at different 
points, but most of them crossed in the ferry 
at Quincy. I saw many cases of suffering 
among them as they were driven out in the win- 
ter season. Fortunately the winter was a mild 
one. While at Louisiana I heard one of them 
preach a sermon. It did not differ much from an 
ordinary orthodox sermon. In holding up the 
terrors of hell before his hearers his sermon was 
much the same as the orthodox of that benight- 
ed time. There was much sympathy felt for 
them by the people of Illinois, as it was thought 
they were driven out of Missouri on account of 
their religion. They terminated their wander- 



121 

ings by settling down at Nauvo, a beautiful site 
on a sloping elevation at the head of the lower 
rapids. They were an industrious set of people 
and soon had built up a thriving city. They 
spread all over the county of Hancock, and were 
so numerous in the county that they controlled 
the courts and all the offices of the county. The 
leaders sent out missionaries all over the country 
and some to Europe to gather up followers. They 
were so successful that in four or five years the 
Mormon population was over 16,000. They had 
become so numerous that they were an important 
factor in the then Congressional district, which 
at this time embraced all the river counties from 
Jo Daviess to Adams, besides a number of others 
lying contiguous on the east. Before this in all 
political contests they had voted as a unit with 
the Democratic party. Their natural affiliations 
are all that way and always will be. If Utah is 
admitted as a state, as she surely will be by 
the Democratic party now in power in the year 
1894, she will be a strong Democratic state so 
long as Mormanism dominates in that state. This 
old party is the party of "Rum, Rebellion and 
Romanism," and Mormanism may now be added. 
The Mormans had become disgusted with the 
treatment they had received at the hands of the 
Democrats of Missouri, and for a year or two they 
voted with the whigs, but under the adroit man- 
ipulation of Stephen A. Douglas, in procuring for 



122 

them all the legislation they wished for, in the 
charter of their city of Nauvo, giving the mayor 
almost unlimited power. Power to suspend the 
writ of habeas corpus, and many other unusual 
privileges, authorizing the raising of the Nauvo 
Legion, an independent military company to he 
under the control of the mayor. This mayor was 
the prophet, Joseph Smith. He was also under 
the charter to have command of the Legion, with 
the title of Lieutenant General. He was judge 
of the mayors' court and chief justice of the mun- 
icipal court. It is true that both political parties had 
much to do in granting these unusual privileges 
and powers to the Mormons, but the Democrats 
were the dominant party, and under the shrewd 
management of Stephen A. Douglas, they were 
kept true to his party, as the sequel proved. Jos- 
eph P. Hoge, of Galena, and Cyrus Walker, were 
opposing candidates for congress, both went to 
Nauvo and made speeches, both were promised 
the Mormon vote by Joe Smith. When election 
day came, Joe Smith voted for Walker, but the 
rest of the Mormon vote went as a unit for Joseph 
P. Hoge, the Democrat. This was in 1842, Hoge 
was elected by some 3,000 majority. The Mor- 
mon vote was over 3,000, and decided the elec- 
tion. Joe Smith said in a proclamation to his 
people, that Stephan A. Douglas was the ruling 
spirit in the legislature. Soon after Governor 
-Boggs sent a requisition on Governor Carlin, of 



123 

Illinois, demanding the arrest and delivery of Joe 
Smith, and other leaders of the Mormons for var- 
ious crimes committed in Missouri. Smith and 
others after being in hiding for sometime were 
arrested. In the meantime Stephen A. Douglas 
had been elected Judge in the third district. Joe 
Smith was brought before him on a writ of ha- 
beas corpus, was discharged from custody on some 
trifling technicality, and the Mormons were per- 
mitted to go on their career of lawlessness, under 
the privileges given in their charter they set all 
attempts at bringing them to justice at defiance. 

The state had furnished the.Nauvo legion with 
a number of cannons and two hundred and fifty 
pieces of small arms. They were accused of all 
sorts of crimes and misdemeanors, and about this 
time Joe Smith had a revelation on polygamy, 
and had sealed to himself a number of women, 
one or two the wives of men, who were not Mor- 
mons. 

An intense feeling of resentment was aroused 
against them on account of their arrogance in 
claiming that they were the chosen people of the 
Lord, and that they would soon have possession 
of the whole earth. Through the efforts of their 
missionaries, large accessions were made to their 
number yearly. Under the state of feeling in Han- 
cock and adjoining counties, a large force assem- 
bled at Carthage, determined to rid the country of 
the Mormons. Governor Ford was requested to 



124 

call out the military, but declined to do so until 
he should come down and personally investigate 
the matter. He came to Nauvo and spent some 
days there and at Carthage. The Mormons had 
in the meantime armed the legion and fortified 
the city, and things looked decidely warlike. The 
troops had their rendezvous on the Mississippi, a 
short distance below Nauvo. Governor Ford ad- 
dressed the troops assembled, advising modera- 
tion, and using only legal means. In the mean- 
time the Mormons finding resistance was useless 
against theoverwhelming force against them, had 
consented to the arrest of their leaders, Joe Smith 
and his brother, Hiram, and other leaders. They 
were taken and sent under a strong guard to 
Carthage, and lodged in jail, the governor prom- 
ised them protection, and that they should have 
a fair legal trial. This promise he no doubt in- 
tended to fulfil, but the people were so excited 
that a strong force of men was organized, who 
went to the jail, overpowered the guardsand shot 
Smith and his brother, Hiram. When they broke 
into the jail, Smith fired a number of shots from 
a six shooter furnished him by his friends, wound- 
ing three of his assailants, John Taylor was also 
severely wounded. Thus this arch impostor fell 
at last. The Mormons being without a leader, 
there arose a contest for the leadership. Sidney 
Rigdon claimed it with some show of right on 
his side. There is no doubt of his having written 



125 

the book of Morman, as a pastime, a kind of a 
romance imitating the style of language in which 
the old testament is written. Rigdon was not 
selected, and left. The elders of the church who 
were many of them absent as missionaries, when 
they returned chose Brigham Young as their head 
man. He afterwards in conductingthem to their 
new home at Salt Lake, proved himself to be pos- 
sessed of shrewd native sense, a born leader of 
men. These events occurred in 1844. For the 
next two years the Mormons continued to have 
accessions to their numbers, and the same bitter 
hostile feeling continued to exist between the Mor- 
mons and their enemies, murders and other out- 
rages were continually occurring. Bakinstoss the 
sheriff and bosom friend of Stephen A. Douglas 
being the main leader in all the Mormon out- 
rages against the Anti-Mormons. The Mormon 
vote was wanted in the presidential election of 
1844 by the Democrats, and they received it. I 
have said nothing about the peculiar belief of the 
Mormons as that is pretty well known by every 
one who is familiar with their after career 
at Salt Lake. The prophet, Joseph Smith, 
among his numerous possessions and offices own- 
ed a small steam boat. He made a trip to Rock 
Island, while lying at the landing he got into a 
playful scuffle with one of the men employed on 
the boat. In the contest the man proved to be 
too strong for Smith and he was thrown overboard, 



126 

getting a good ducking, when ira merged he used 
some terrible cuss words, this I am told was noth- 
ing unusual for him to do. 

In 1846 the trouble between the Mormons and 
their enemies still continued, and forces on both 
sides were gathered together and faced each other 
in mortal combat. A number of cannons were 
used on each side, but the firing of cannons and 
small arms was done at long range and but few 
lives were lost. This long range battle lasted 
three or four days. A delegation from Quincy 
came up and effected a cessation of hostilities. The 
Anti Mormons compelling the Mormons to agree 
to leave the state, and they at once commenced to 
dispose of their property, but they were allowed 
only two or three days in which to do it. Men 
women and children were driven forth, the weak, 
the sick, the feeble, all had to go across the river 
into Iowa, where they erected temporary tents 
for shelter. It being a sickly season hundreds of 
them died. The people in Northern Illinois were 
very indignant at the cruelty practiced by the 
Anti Mormon mob under the leadership of a 
Campbellite preacher, by the name of Brockman, 
a man with an infamous character, who to the 
credit of theCampbellites was afterwards expelled 
from the church. The mob spirit was still 
rampant after the Mormons left, the attempt made 
was under the lead of the infamous Brockman to 
drive out persons who had settled in Nauvo dur- 



12 



ing the last year or two for purposes of trade. 
There is no doubt that very many of the outrages 
which were said to have been done by the Mor- 
mons were committed by a set of desperadoes who 
harbored around the lower rapids on both sides 
of the river. It was a locality that had a bad rep- 
utation for many years. Many merchants who 
had settled in Nauvo, who where not Mormons 
were compelled to pack up and leave. The steam- 
er Dubuque, Capt. Beebe in command, coming 
along during the culmination of the troubles, was 
loaded down with goods belonging to grocery 
merchants who were called Jack Mormons. These 
goods were brought to Galena and turned over bv 
the captain to the firm of McM aster & Hemp- 
stead. 

These closing scenes of Mormons in our state 
occurred in 1846. This was a year of great floods 
in all the Mississippi Valley. All the low grounds 
were completely submerged. The river in many 
places where there were wide bottoms resembling 
a great lake, doing immense damage, destroying 
all crops on the lowlands. The water at St. Louis 
was 44 feet above low water mark, coming up and 
overflowing the second stories of all the stores on 
the levee. The only landing the boats hadfor re- 
ceiving and discharging their cargoes was on the 
cross street half way up between First and Second 
streets. I visited St. Louis during this flood. 
Kaskaskia the former capital of the state was al- 



128 

most swept out of existance by this flood and a high 
wind which arose in the night. This scene is ve*y 
graphically described by Miss Catherwood in her 
old Kaskaskia, 

Somewhere along in the early forties Dr. Ely, 
of Philadelphia, a preacher belonging to the New 
Presbyterian church undertook to found a colony 
in Missouri on a wide beautiful prairie of bottom 
land, a short distance below Quincy. It was 
also his intention to found a college at Palmyra, 
a short distance in the country. This town was 
called Marion City. When this city was laid off 
the water was low, the bank of the river, which 
was the level of the prairie, being some six feet 
above low water. It was planted with broad 
streets and a number of public squares. A large 
number of colonies were induced to come from 
the Eastern states, who bought lots and erected 
many houses. The colonists were nearly all Anti 
Slavery. In a year or two the water came up 
and partially flooded a portion of the incipient 
city. In 1846 the water covered the whole town 
site to the deptn of 8 to 10 feet, and many of the 
buildings were swept away. The town was wholly 
abandoned and hardly a single house now marks 
the spot where this city of such large hopes and 
pretentions stood. Dr. Ely was very much blam- 
ed for deluding so many people, but he was also 
a loser, both in money and reputation. 

Among the many business men whom I knew 



129 

many years ago and with whom I had business 
or social relations I would name in Burlington, 
John H. Gear & Win. F. Coobbaugh, Schenck 
& Dennis, heavy pork packers, very honorable 
and strait business men and W. C. Postlewaite. 
Burlington was noted for its many enterprising 
business men, and the town at one time in the 
50s gave promise of being the leading town in 
the state. John H. Gear was a successful mer- 
chant, in after years he entered political life and 
was elected a member of congress for a number 
of terms, also was elected governor of the state in 
which he has been called upon to act, he has dis- 
charged his duties faithfully and honestly, and to- 
day I learn that the Iowa legislature has just 
elected him senator. Iowa has again returned 
to her loyalty to the Republican party. W. F. 
Coobbaugh a bright genial Kentuckian went to 
Chicago many years ago becoming a leading 
banker there. Many years ago he had a very 
tragic end, in a fit of despondency brought on by 
some cause unknown to his friends he went down 
to the lower subburbs of the city and was found 
lying dead at the foot of the monument of Stephen 
A. Douglas. In the city of Muscatine, once called 
Bloomington, I knew Sewell Foster, an old timer, 
a horticulturist, a recognized authority in that de- 
partment. Green & Stone, an honorable firm of 
bankers, John Bennett a successful man and pork 
packer. The town of Buffalo was settled at an 



130 

early day. A Mr. Clark, the first settler there, 
who established a ferry which was long known 
as Clark's ferry, his son, Capt. Clark, still resides 
there at the old homestead. An old schoolmate 
of mine in New York a successful pilot and cap- 
tain in the trade between St. Louis and Galena, 
entered a farm of 400 acres, lying just above Buf- 
falo, which I think is the most beautiful of any on 
the shores of the great river, rising as it does with 
a gentle swelling slope from the river, back nearly 
a mile to the level prairie that stretches away to 
the north. His farm was in a high state of culti- 
vation at the time of his death, which occurred 
some fifteen years ago. He was driving a very 
spirited team attached to a mower, and the team 
started to run throwing him onto the mower and 
injuring him so severly that he died soon after. 
Another beautiful farm belonging to .an old friend 
and pupil of mine in 1831, lies just below Buffalo 
belonged to Capt. Hiram Bersie. He first was a 
pilot and then built a boat cal4ed the St. Croix in 
which he had a famous race with Capt. Smith 
Harris from St. Louis to Galena, both coming in 
so near each other at the end of the race, that 
Bersie had his plank run out only five minutes 
late. He afterwards built the Bon Accord and 
the Golden Era. James Carter was interested 
with him in both the boats. He was one of the 
most popular commanders on the river, very quiet 
and gentle in his manners, always maintaining 



131 

perfect dicipline on his boat. He was a partner 
of ours in the War Eagle mills, which we erected 
in 1849 in Galena, E. B. Washburn being the 
other partner. In 1856 he had a paralytic stroke 
whii-h unfitted him for his steam boat duties and 
he went to Europe for his health, taking the 
Carlsbad waters while there. On his return he 
was able to get about on crutches for two or three 
years, but he had one or two other strokes and 
became demented before the close of his life which 
occurred in 1859. Another beautiful farm lying 
some seven or eight miles below, belonged to 
Legrand Morehouse, another old time river cap- 
tain. These farms were all entered before 1840, 
by these river pilots and captains, who in passing 
up and down the river could take their pick. 
Capt. Morehouse lived for some few years in a cot- 
tage just west of Captain Dodge's house. He went 
to Springfield, Missouri, some ten years ago to live 
with his daughter, and died there two or three 
years ago. 

Early Settlement of Towns Along the River. 



The little hamlet of Andalusia with its high 
sounding name was laid off and named by Gen. 
N. B. Buford, sometime in the 40s. He induced 
our old genial friend, Dr. Bowman to settle there 
at an early day, and he resided there most of the 
time until his death, which occurred a few weeks 



132 

ago. John Buffam settled there at an early day, 
engaging in the mercantile business, dealing 
largely in country produce. He moved into the 
interior of Iowa a few years ago. 

The town of Lyons as I have before stated was 
laid off and owned by Dennis Warren sometime 
in the 40s. It was a good site for a town, lying 
high and dry above high water mark and backed 
by a fine farming country. It attracted a good 
deal of attention as a point where a large pros- 
perous city might be built up in the future, Den- 
nis did nothing however towards helping build 
up the towm. He sold his lots for the best price 
he could get, making no improvements himself 
except a small store on Front street which was 
occupied by a brother of his. It was here that he 
accumulated a large share of his property. A few 
enterprising men from New England a short time 
after Lyons had got well under way towards 
building up a thriving town, bought a farm about 
two miles below Lyons, where the present city of 
Clinton is situated. These men were far seeing 
broad minded men, and laid the foundation broad 
and deep for their future city. The streets and 
avenues were laid out from 80 to 150 feet wide, 
with a number of public squares, One large pub- 
lic square near the center of the town was sur- 
rounded with a number of spacious lots which 
were dedicated to public use for school houses 
and churches. There is no town or city lying on 



133 

the river that is so well and admirably laid out 
to meet the wants of the future. 

Soon after the advent of the first railroad that 
reached the Mississippi river, a railroad com- 
pany was quietly organized by these far seeing 
Clintonians to build a road out west of the young 
city. In a year or two 40 miles was completed 
and in operation, bringing to the town a largeac- 
cession of trade and traffic. Much of this had 
heretofore gone to Lyons. In a short time two 
immense saw mills were built by Young & Co., 
and by Lamb & Co. The output of these mills 
has been for many years the largest of any on the 
upper river, and many other manufactories were 
put in successful operation. The first settlers of 
Clinton were mostly from New England and New 
York. • The first settlers of Lyons were also most- 
ly of the same class and Lyons would probably 
have kept the lead in the race had it not been for 
the dead weight, the incubus they to carry, in the 
person of Dennis Warren, who would make no im- 
provements and opposed all that would involve 
increased taxation. Rock Island has labored for 
many years under the same incubus in the per- 
son of Bayley Davenport, who owned so many 
choice tracts of land in and about the city which 
he would not sell or improve. Since his death 
some of his vast estate in land has been disposed 
of and in consequence the old fogy town has im- 
proved more in the last two years than in any 



134 

ten years of its past history; but more of this here- 
after. Cordova in the upper part of Rock Island 
county was settled and occupied in an earl} 7 day, 
mostly by the numerous Marshall family someof 
them living in the village and two or three of the 
brothers occupying large new improved farms in 
the township. They came from Pennsylvania 
originally. The town of Albany was at one time 
some thirty or forty years ago quite a thriving vil- 
lage in Whiteside county. Among its prominent 
business men were Mcllvian and Happer. M. S, 
Tullerand a Mr. Barnes, whofor many years kept 
a good hotel there, but this old town like nearly 
all others on the east side of the river has all 
gone to decay and ruin. The next town above, 
Fulton in the same county, was very flourishing 
soon after the Northwestern railroad reached the 
Mississippi, a large grain elevator was put up to 
store the grain coming from Iowa. Col. John 
Dement, the father of our former state treasurer 
put up a large costly hotel, a very beautiful stone 
structure which in later years was occupied as a 
military training school, after it ceased paying 
as a hotel, when the town began to decay, after the 
Northwestern crossed with the bridge to Clinton. 
Lately it has taken a new lease of life since an- 
other railroad has entered its borders, crossing the 
river over a high bridge erected on the high point 
ot land just above town. 

Savanna thirtv miles below Galena<had a few 



135 

settlers as early as 1835. A Mr. Pierce settled 
there in 1832. He was the father of Wm. B. Pierce, 
who was sheriff of Carroll county for some years. 
L. H. Bowen who owned the lower part of the 
town, and at one time was largely engaged in 
merchandise and milling, was a very enterprising 
man and done all he could to build up the town. 
He always thought its situation was some thirty 
miles nearer Chicago, and the great lakes would, 
when railroads reached the Mississippi, give it a 
decided advantage as a railroad point over any 
other. Had he lived a few years longer he would 
have seen his anticipations realized. Savanna is 
iiow a great railroad center and Mr. Bowen's end 
of the town is now well built up. The two Rhodes 
brothers, Thomas and John came there at an ear- 
ly da}', John was sheriff of the county at onetime. 
They both in later years built a number of steam 
boats. Connected with them in the boating interest 
was Geo. W. Jenks, of Savanna, and Jerry and 
Dr. Woods, of Sabula. The Rhodes brothers both 
had command of the boats they built. Thomas 
was president of the northern line with head 
quarters at St. Louis for many years. They were 
both enterprising men and were favorably known 
all along the upper river. Menard Dupuis a 
Frenchman engaged in the lumber business was 
one of the early settlers who came there from Ga- 
lena. Dr. Woodruff who married a daughter of 
my old time friend, Mr. Eddows, settled there 



136 

about 1850. John Eddows went there at about 
the same time. Dr. Woodruff and John Rhodes 
are both still living, I had a very pleasant inter- 
view with them both last summer on my way to 
my old home, Galena. Jerry Woods and his 
brother were among the first settlers of Sabula, 
and were for a long time engaged in milling and 
merchandise. I first saw the site of the town of 
Bellevue in the summer of 1834. The house of 
Little & Wann, of Galena, sent L. H. Bowen and 
myself with two others down there to survey one 
mile square as a claim for smelting purposes, as 
the early smelters were allowed a certain number 
of acres of woodland adjoining their furnaces. 
There had been some small discoveries of lead ore 
made near there. The survey took in the beauti- 
ful valley lying between the high bluffs which 
bound each side of the mill stream that flows 
through the valley. We were there two days 
sleeping on the floor of an unoccupied cabin that 
we found, the only house to be seen in the whole 
valley. Some years after this, this valley with 
its fine water power and picturesque situation at- 
tracted a number of settlers. Among the rest, one 
Brown, who kept a hotel and store. He had not 
been there long before he drew around him a 
number of lawless characters, horse thieves and 
counterfeiters. So many of this class gathered 
there that they became a menace and terror to all 
the law abiding people in Jackson county. A 



137 

large force of the people in the town and country 
was gathered together by Mr. Warren, the sheriff, 
and they surrounded Brown's hotel. He had 
gathered a number of desperadors about him and 
armed them expecting an attack. The first shot 
was fired from the hotel and a pitched battle took 
place, a number were killed and wounded on 
each side. The sheriff and his party drew off near 
night expecting to get more reinforcements. They 
came back in the morning with an increased 
force, s© strong that Brown and his party agreed 
to capitulate, provided they were allowed to go 
without arrest. To save further loss of life the 
sheriff consented to this. This occurred in 1840. 
Old Jacob Norris made his appearance in Rock 
Island a day or two after this occurrance, wheth- 
er he belonged to the gang of outlaws or not, I do 
not know. He took their part at any rate when 
he arrived here. Iowa as well as Illinois was in- 
fested with many lawless characters, many of this 
Brown gang took up their abode at Comanche, 
which had the the name of being the headquar- 
ters of all the bad rough characters. There was 
an old hardened counterfeiter who had a den 
somewhere north of there in the dense woods 
where he made a business of making a very good 
imitation of American half dollars, not easy to 
detect. I have forgotten his name, he lived a 
while near the close of his career just below Cor- 
dova. Capt. Potter and his son-in-law, Lancas- 



138 

ter, camet) Bellevue somewhere in the 40s, and 
improved the water power, putting up a very good 
substantial grist mill, sending large quantities to 
the Galena market, which always met with a 
ready sale, as it was always uniformly good, true 
to the brand. John R. Perkins, who was a clerk 
for my firm, settled there after acting as cashier 
for the Galena bank for many years. 

In writing about the Mormons I did not men- 
tion the massive costly temple they erected upon 
the highest ground in their city. It presented a 
very imposing appearance seen from the river. 
It was constructed from hewn stone taken from 
the quaries just above the city, a compact light 
colored lime stone. It was not modeled after any 
particular style of architecture, and was rather 
unique in its style. On its east side was a huge 
representation of the noon day sun with brilliant 
golden rays. In the basement was the lavatory 
or babtismal font, cut out of massive limestone, 
resting on the necks of two enormous oxen carved 
out of the same material. A few years after the 
regime of the Mormons, it was burned down by 
an inceudiary. It was destroyed, it was thought, 
either by the Anti-Mormons, who feared the re- 
turn of the followers of the prophet or by the 
Mormons themselves to prevent its being used by 
the Gentiles in after years. The cut stone was 
hauled away to enter into the structure of cellars 
of the people in the country, very many of the 



139 

buildings went into ruin or were torn down and 
hauled off. Not long after the departure of the 
Mormons a colony of French cummunists called 
Icarians, bought a large share of the site, and 
some lands adjoining, and commenced the culture 
of grapes. Their possessions were all held in 
common For a while the little colony continu- 
ed to flourish. During the grape season large 
quantities were shipped north to Iowa and Minne- 
sota. The little colony after a while getting into 
some dis&ension among their leaders was dissol- 
ved as a community, and now this famous place 
in the early history of our state is occupied by 
only a few scattering houses. It was often men- 
tioned as a suitable site for the capitol of the na- 
tion, should the capitol ever be moved from its 
present location. Some twenty years ago the pro- 
ject of moving the National Capitol to some point 
in the valley of the Mississippi was much agita- 
ted by some Western papers, very earnestly by 
the newspapers published in St. Louis. That city 
being the point. It is hardly probable that the 
capitol will ever be moved from where it now is 
so long as we continue an united nation. 



Noted Galena Men From 1840 to 1850. 

To return to the history of Galena afterthis long 
diversion. A large number of wholesale houses 
were established within the next six oreightyears 



140 

in order to supply the great influx of trade corning 
to Minnesota and Northern Iowa: In wholesale 
groceries, Campbell, Smith & Jones; Lorain &Co.; 
H. F. McCloskey; Stillman '& Rood; R. S. Harris 
& Co.; Henry and Miers F. Truett; McMaster & 
Hempstead, nearly all located along the levee. In 
dry goods, L. S. Felt & Co.; Meritt & Cowls, Fos- 
ter & Stall; Bloomer & Holmes, besides a number 
of others in hardware and retail dry goods. The 
little narrow levee was crowded with boats com- 
ing in, and going out in all direction. Main street 
and along the levee was so crowded in the busy 
season, that it was difficult to pass along the side 
walk. The ladies generally deserting it and tak- 
ing to the upper street. Goods would often lie on 
the levee all night. The piles of lead would be 
covered with the lighter kinds of the cargoes. We 
occupied the large brick store at the head of the 
levee and had a better chance than others, by 
having streets on both sides of our store. When 
the Mexican War commenced in 1846, a company 
of volunteers was raised in Galena. H. W. How- 
ard was Captain, and Calmese Wight was elected 
first lieutentant, Dr. A. T. Crow, a brother of Way- 
man Crow, of St. Louis, went along as sur- 
geon. He was a very skillful physician, and we 
disliked to have him leave the town. These three 
officers all returned to Galena safe and sound after 
the close of the war. Mr. Howard was afterwards 
appointed postmaster under Buchanan's admin- 



141 

istration. Young Wight afterwards married the 
daughter of Judge Stone, who was one of the circuit 
judges before Judge Brown's time. The lawyers 
practicing at the Galena bar at this time, were 
Thomas Drummond, and John M. Douglas, who 
moved to Chicago in 1849, acting as attorney for 
the Illinois Central railroad, for a few years, and in 
after years was elected president, in which capac- 
ity he acted for some years. He was a very able 
lawyer, and soon had a very large lucrative prac- 
tice. He was always in demand when there was 
any litigation in regard to the title to mines. 
When he took a case of this kind he would usual- 
ly go down into the mine and thoroughly post 
himself in all the surroundings. 

E. B. Washburn and C. S. Hempstead. 



Mr. Washburn did not practice so much in the 
courts, his business was mostly office work and 
collecting. I think he was employed by an East- 
ern agency to report the standing of our Galena 
merchants, at any rate one of our merchants 
whose credit was somewhat shaky thought he 
was. His office was over our store. Paddy Gar- 
nes the individual, came into the office, bringing 
a backer with him, Jess Morrison. I was sitting 
there. He commenced abusing Washburn, threat- 
ening him with personal chastisement. Wash- 
burn seized a wooden chair and brought it down 



142 

upon him with force, Games was a largebrawny 
man, but Washburn siezed him, and pushing him 
towards the stairway, threw him over the railing, 
and he went tumbling down the stairs, saying as 
he went, "I will see you again." His backer, Mor- 
rison did not interfere. Games failed a few 
months after, he was engaged in dry goods trade. 
Gambling and to much whiskey ruined him. A 
little after this Jess Morrison was a candidate on 
the Democratic ticket for sheriff of that county, 
he was badly beaten. I had made some remarks 
about him, not very favorable. He called on me 
one day, accompanied by Jim Griffith, a noted 
saloon keeper and gambler, and asked me if I said 
so and so. I told him "I did, and what I said 
was true." Griffith said, I would be held person- 
ally responsible sah. I was not afraid of their 
threats as John R. Perkins stood near, who would 
soon clear them both out, if necessary. I heard 
no more about being held personally responsible. 
JimGriffithwasaTennessian, had a plausible man- 
ner, a dangerous man, one of the leaders of the 
Democracy. Paddy Games did not see Wash- 
burn again. A. L. Holmes was another lawyer, 
with but little practice, other pursuits occupying 
his time. M. Y. Johnson, who married the daugh- 
ter of Col. A. G. Wight, had a very fair practice, 
was in many respects an agreeable companionable 
man, rather vain and boasting in his manner. 
This habit of boasting of what he could do and 



143 

of the influence he had in the early days of the 
rebellion, I will narrate further on. He was a 
Kentuckian by birth. E. A. Small commenced 
the practice of law in Galena, he was a cultured 
genial gentleman, a close friend of mine. He 
moved to Chicago some years later and became a 
leading lawyer in that city. Some six or eight of 
us used to often meet at each other's houses with 
wives, and occasionally some young ladies, would 
join us in a social dance, W. W. Huntington and 
wife, E. A. Small and his wife, myself and wife, 
Augustus Chetlain and Capt. Lundy, who was a 
very fine musician played the violin and called 
out the dances. We who met here were all close 
and intimate friends. Capt. Lundy established 
the first telegraph line in Northern Illinois called 
the Illinois and Mississippi, I think Judge Caton 
was at the head of the company, with headquar- 
ters at Ottowa. I took a few shares of stock, which 
I held until 1888, long after it was merged into 
the Western Union, getting usually 2 per cent, 
dividend on each share of $25. Thompson Camp- 
bell I have already spoken of at length, but one 
more item about him, in the congressional elec- 
tion for 1856. He and E. B. Washburn were the 
opposing candidates. Campbell had been elected 
two years before by a very large majority and he 
was very confident of his election this time. The 
evening of the election he says to some of his 
friends, "come boys I am elected, and it is my 



144 

treat". The news came along the next day that 
Washburn was elected by a small majority, as a 
Republican. The district had been carried 
by the Democrats for some years past. 

In 1849 E. B. Washburn, Captain Hiram Ber- 
sie and our firm erected a large stone flour 
mill just below town on the river, at a cost of $25,- 

000 when finished, with a capacity capable of turn 
ing out 200 barrels of flour in twenty-four hours, 
it was the most complete mill on the upper 
Mississippi. The supply of wheat near at home 
was wholly inadequate to keep it running to its 
full capacity, so I had to buy wheat at various 
points along the river, at Albany, Dubuque, 
Wapeton, Clayton, Guttenburg and Prairie Du 
Chein. I spent nearly all winter in 1851 in buy- 
ing wheat all along the line of the Wisconsin 
river buying at Decorah, Prairie Du Sac, Portage 
City and at the Dells of the Wisconsin, I pur- 
chased a number of thousand bushels, and in the 
spring we started in to bring the wheat out on 
the Badger State, a boat that the firm of McMas- 
ter and Heinpstead had built in Pittsburg, by 
Capt. Humbertson, who was interested with us. 

1 made one trip on the Badger State, she was 
crowded with raftsmen who were on their return 
trip from St, Louis to the upper pineries. They 
were much pleased with the boat as she was a 
large roomy boat, much larger than any that had 
run on the river heretofore. We brought back a 



145 

large cargo, as the water was at a good stage, the 
river falling soon after. This was our first and 
last trip made by the Badger on this treacherous 
river full of shifting sand bars. During the win- 
ter while buying wheat I had to make many long 
tedious trips back and forth between Galena and 
Prairie Du Sac, I recollect I rode all day against 
a north wind in my cutter with the thermometor 
at 25 below, stopping occasionally at the lonely 
farm houses to warm. In crossing the Wisconsin 
on the ice near night, in sight of Sac Prairie, I 
froze the side of my nose. I was much impressed 
with the peculiar formation of the country in this 
part of the state of Wisconsin, with its rounded hill 
surrounded by beautiful circling fertile valleys. 
I usualy enjoyed these lonely rides in midwinter, 
as I could always see something in nature, even 
in dreary winter to admire and enjoy. The many 
tinted brown Oak leaves clothing the steep hills 
sides in their settling of the pure white snow. Oc- 
casionally I would see a deer or two bounding off 
through the scrub oaks that clothed the hill sides. 
One day when the snow was lying deep on the 
ground I started across the country at Black Earth 
Valley to reach a small town some 15 miles east of 
Sac Prairie. Night overtook me at a little ham- 
let having only one store and a small hotel kept 
by a German, I saw no one about the house, when 
I retired to my room at ten, only the man and his 
wife, I did not like their looks and finding no fast- 

10 



146 

ening on the door I drew the bed near and tied 
my handkerchief to the post and to the handle of 
the door, as I had a large amount of money with 
me. The moon was shining brightly, and in the 
night I was awakened by someone trying to open 
the door, he pulled it open two or three inches 
and I saw the man's face, but at the same time he 
saw my six shooter levelled at him and he beat 
a hasty retreat. The room was almost as light as 
day, the moon was shining into the south win- 
dow. In the morning at breakfast there was no 
one visible about the house except the man and 
his wife and I made no enquiries of them 
about the occurrence. I learned that the man 
had a bad reputation and had killed a peddlar 
for his money a short time before. I never car- 
ried arms before or since, but it seemed to be nec- 
essary for me to do so at this time, as I was ob- 
liged to carry with me a good deal of money to 
pay for the purchase of wheat. My coming into 
the Wisconsin valley purchasing this large 
amount of wheat was a fortunate thing for the 
farmers and merchants, as the only outlet they 
had for their surplus wheat was the limited home 
market, or the long haul to Milwaukee. I paid 
40 to 50 cents for bushels. We did not succeed 
in getting the wheat all out the first season and 
some of it was not in very good condition. The 
next year two small steamboats were navigating 
the Wisconsin at this time. The Black Hawk 



147 

and the Enterprise. The Black Hawk was com- 
manded by Capt. Peter Hall, the same man who 
made so many trips down the Mississippi in his 
little boat in the winter season collecting Indian 
relics and curiosities for the academy of science 
at Davenport, la., Tennessee and Alabama. He 
is still living at Davenport, and his little old for- 
lorn looking boat is stored in the rear of the aca- 
demy. He, during the many winters spent in 
this way on the lower Mississippi collected a very 
large amount of ancient Indian Pottery at a 
small expense to the academy. Captain Gabbart 
who spent the last years of his life in Davenport, 
commanded the Enterprise. This boat belonged 
to the Harrises of Galena, The mill did not prove 
to be a profitable investment, it was too large for 
the wants of the country at that time, and we 
sold it in 1864 to a woolen mill company and 
that failed in a year or two, like so many woolen 
mills that were started all over the West. 

About this time we put up a packing house 
just below town, buying a piece of ground of Capt. 
Gear, who graded and paved the landing in front 
to the river. This was the first pork packing done 
in Galena. With buying wheat to run our mill 
and running the packing house, I was kept very 
busy in buying supplies for both establishments. 



148 

Adventure With the Indians on the Upper Missis- 
sippi. 



At the outbreak of the Mexican War, Capt. East- 
man, who was the post commandant at Fort 
Snelling and Lieut. Hall, the second in command 
spent some weeks in Galena on recruiting service, 
enlisting a number of soldiers for service in the 
U. S. army. The Winnebago Indians for the 
last two or three years had been giving the gov- 
ernment a ^ood deal of trouble by their leaving 
their reservation, and every spring returning to 
their old haunts on the Wisconsin river in the 
neighborhood of the Dells. Captain Eastman re- 
ceived orders to have them all return to their 
reservations in Minnesota, and as the Indians re- 
fused to march to their reservations, squads of 
troops were employed in gathering them up at 
different points on the Mississippi river, and tak- 
ing them to Wabashaw prairie, a point just be- 
low Lake Pepin. Here the Sioux Indians were 
to meet them and endeavor to make an amiable 
treaty if possible, so that hereafter they might 
live in peace with each other, as their reservations 
were near each other. Capt. Eastman and Lieut. 
Hall went up on a boat to meet the two tribes 
there and assist in making a treaty, A number 
of lady excursionists went along, captain East- 
man taking with him a few men, as a guard. The 
boat landed about a mile above the Indian en- 



149 

campment. Capt. Eastman told the ladies that 
they must not leave the boat and come down to 
the encampment, as he anticipated theie might 
be some trouble between these two hostile tribes. 
They all obeyed the captain's order exeept one 
little lady, but she fearing neither the captain nor 
Indians, leaving her little girl in the charge of 
the ladies, who tried to pursuade her not to go, 
started down and passing through the crowd of 
Indians, made her way to where the captain was 
standing and said to him, "I have come, I wish 
to see a sight, I may never again have an oppor- 
tunity of seeing." "My dear madam why did you 
dare to come, I fear there may be trouble." After 
a good many speeches were made an agreement 
was reached by the two tribes, that they would 
live in peace hereafter. A chief's daughter be- 
longing to the Sioux was given in marriage to a 
brave. The young Indian girl was decked in all 
the splendor of savage costume. The young 
braves would dash upon their ponies and throw 
down presents at the feet of the bride, of gayly 
colored blankets, wampum, beads, saddles and 
ponies were scattered around her, and the meet- 
ing of the tribes terminated happily and there 
has been peace between them ever since. The 
little woman who braved the genial captain's dis- 
pleasure was called "brave squaw!" "brave squaw!" 
as she passed through the Indian crowds. The 
other ladies regretted that they did not go and 



150 

enjoy the novel sight. My wife, who was among 
the passengers went on to the fort and stopped 
there visiting the wife of Lieut. Hall, where she 
spent sometime. I joined her a few days after at 
the fort; while there we took the only conveyance, 
a buggy and went to lake Caroline and spent the 
day with Mrs. Halland her littleoneson the banks 
of the beautiful lake, leaving the little ones pick- 
ing the ripe strawberries which were found in 
profusion along its banks, we took our fishing 
poles and commenced fishing close by along the 
pebbly shores of the lake. We saw a number of 
beautiful swans in the distance sailing along. 
We passed a delightful day, enjoying intensely 
the beauty of this sylvan scene, unmared by the 
hand of man. This lake and Lake Calhoun dis- 
charge their waters through the stream that 
dashes over the falls of Minnehaha. We passed 
most of the way along its banks through heavy 
timber; we occasionally met an Indian on our 
route, greeting them with a friendly "How," which 
was always returned in the same way. On our 
way back we stopped at the falls, descending with 
difficulty the steep rugged bank with our little 
ones, a scene of wild beauty greeted us. This 
stream has eat its way through the shaley rock 
for over a mile from the Mississippi, making a 
gorge 50 to 75 feet high and into this deep narrow 
chasm, the stream pours its waters. The lower 
strata of the underlying rock is softer and more 



151 

shaley than the upper and in consequence there 
is quite an open space back of the falls. While 
we were standing there, Mrs. Hall challenged me 
to go under the falls and cross to the other shore 
with her. My wife objected strongly to the wild 
adventure. But we started over on the somewhat 
wet and slippery path and reached the north 
shore safely. The little stream was quite high at 
the time, which made the passage the more dan- 
gerous. My wife hollowed to us across the chasm 
that we must not attempt to come back the same 
way, that I must carry Mrs. Hall over. There 
was no bridge, and the north bank was very steep 
and if we took that route we must ford the 
stream above. So Mrs. Hall clasping her arms 
around my neck, I took her on my back and 
crossed the rapid stream, stumbling over the loose 
rocks. .1, with some difficulty reached the other 
side safely, much to the relief of us all. We stay- 
ed at the fort a few days. This fort at that time 
was the best built fort in all the west, with heavy 
massive stone walls with one heavy massive gate 
on the west, the only place of egress. The quar- 
ters were spacious and neat. I think there has 
been no material change made since, and it still 
is a point worth visiting as a relic of early times 
in the northwest. At another time a few years 
later we went up to the fort on a steam boat that 
was taking supplies there. The whole flat below 
the fort, between the fort and river was covered 



152 

with Sioux Indians, at least two thousand of them. 
They had congregated here to receive their anu- 
ities. We passed through them on our way to 
the fort. The other ladies on the boat were afraid 
to pass through the wild Sioux. The little woman 
was greeted again with "brave squaw," as she 
passed to the fort. 

At another time after St. Paul had received its 
name and had perhaps oOO inhabitants, a number 
of Indian traders lived there then. Among whom 
I recollect were Mr, Borup and Louis Robair or 
Roberts (Roberts Street is named for him.) The 
Indians had gathered there on the high bank 
overlooking the river, in what was then the lower 
part of town, there were no houses along here 
then. They had collected for the purpose of 
holding what was called a begging dance. The 
traders were there in force with presents for their 
friends, the Indians. First there would be a 
short dance, the Indians dancing around in a cir- 
cle. Then a speech from some chief, reciting his 
brave deeds, and then the traders would bring 
forward their presents of sugar, corn, tobacco, 
flour etc., and the squaws would come up from 
their places in front and take the gifts away in 
their aprons. There would follow another dance 
and then another speech and more presents. This 
kept up for some hours until they were exhausted. 
In the middle of these exercises I saw an Indian 
appear on the other side of the river waving a 



153 

red blanket, making various motions with it. I 
saw that the Indians were much excited by their 
flashing eyes and movements. They seized their 
guns and rushed down the steep bank to the river 
where their cannoes were moored, and in five 
minutes from the time of the waving of the blan- 
ket they were on the other bank of the river. An 
interpreter explained the cause of the excitement 
The motions told that a Chippewa had been kill- 
ed by one of the Siouxs a short distance up the 
river. The Chippewas and Sioux had been enem- 
mies for years. It was ascertained soon after that 
it was a false alarm, as the Indian, who the signal 
said was killed, turned up all right. It was a 
marvel to me how they could, by the waving of 
a blanket convey so much inteligence. One more 
Indian incident which occurred in 1856. A large 
party of excursionists were going up the river on 
the Northern Bell, one of the finest packets of the 
Galena & Minnesota Packet Co. When we stop- 
ped at Red Wing, a town some distance below St. 
Paul. The landing was a steep sloping gravelly 
bank. On the top of the bank w T e found a large 
collection of Indians having a Buffalo dance. 
This dance is usually performed before starting 
out on a hunt for the buffalo on the far off plains. 
They all had on for a dress a whole buffalo skin 
with the head, horns and tail. This was a great 
curiosity for all of us, and all went up the bank, 
forming a large circle about the dancers. After 



154 

dancing a time for our amusement, Mr. Indian 
thought he would have some fun too. So putting 
their heads down just like Buffaloes when they 
are on a rampage, they charged into the circle of 
ladies towards the river, the ladies all rushed 
screaming towards the boat, down the steep bank 
without order asto the mode of their going, many of 
them falling down and rolling towards the boat. 
There was a roar of laughter from the whites, the 
Indians no doubt enjoyed the joke as well, but 
they did not show it by any visible manifestation. 
My main obiect in writing these reminiscences of 
my early days on the upper Mississippi is to 
present the name and memory of many pioneers 
•of early days, who helped to build up and organ- 
ise the first settlements along the banks of the 
great river, to show as far as I can the debt of 
gratitude due to these strong stalwart pioneers of 
•civilization in the Northwest. I never kept a 
diary or any record of past events and of course 
cannot give the exact chronology of many of the 
events that I narrate. In my early life and up 
to about 1870 I made frequent trips on the river 
from St. Louis to St. Paul. In the early days of 
steamboating the boats always wooded from the 
shore and in wooding and loading and unloading 
frieght would lie at the bank sometimes an hour 
or two. Whenever this was the case I made a 
practice of ascending every high bluff in the 
neighborhood, in this wav I have ascended almost 



155 

every bluff along the upper river lying near the 
river from Dubuque to St. Paul, and have come 
in contact with many of the principal business 
men all along the river. 



Sketches of Prominent Men of St. Paul and Minne- 
apolis. 

I knew Mr. Gorman well, he was the first 
Territorial Governor of Minnesota, as I had a 
good deal to do with him in a business way. The 
government advertised foralarge amount of sup- 
plies for the different bands of the Sioux, to be de- 
livered at St, Paul in 1854. I was the successful 
bidder for some 5,000 bushels of corn, 1,000 kegs 
of lard, a quantity of smoked hams and Mess pork. 
I 'delivered all the articles called for, and they 
were receipted for in good order. The money 
was to pass through the governors hands, and I 
had to remain at St. Paul some two or three weeks 
w r aiting for the funds to arrive. When I would 
call upon him he would swear, not at me, but at 
the delay of the department for their delatoriness. 
He was great on swearing and tobacco chewing. 
Finally a portion of the money or vouchers came 
along, but the department was not ready to re- 
ceive some 300 kegs of lard for the Sissetous, but 
requested me to hold it until it was needed. I 
did so, but the delays in waiting for the portion 
of the money until late in the fall, and loss of in- 



156 

terest cut down ray anticipated profits. I took no 
more government contracts. Governor Gorman 
continued to reside at St. Paul until the war of 
the Rebellion broke out, when he was elected Colo- 
nel of the 8th Minnesota, and served creditably 
through the war. I knew Wm. Marshall, who was 
governor of the state in after years, I knew him 
in Galena before he went to Minnesota. The last 
time I met him was in St. Louis, in 1864, when 
he, myself and another friend went one evening 
to the house of Gratz B. Brown, the able editor of 
the St. Louis Democrat, to congratulate him on 
his election by the legislature of Missouri, to the 
senate of the United States, T was attending the 
legislature on the day of his election and saw it 
done. On my way down to St. Louis I fell in 
company with Samuel Glover, a very prominent 
lawyer of St. Louis, who was the candidate for the 
more conservative portion of the Union men. I 
had a long talk with him. He thought the state 
would go to ruin under such radical rule, as then 
dominated the legislature Governor Sibley, who 
lived at Mendota, a small trading post, a short 
distance above St. Paul, where I often met him. 
He had been an Indian trader for some years at 
that point. James M. Goodhue, who established 
the first news paper at St. Paul, the Pioneer, I 
knew well in Galena. He was a resident there 
for two or three years, he wrote a very readable 
novel connected with some romantic episode of 



157 

the mines. Phrenolegy was just attracting some 
attention, and a lecture was given on the subject 
at Galena. Goodhue delivered a free lecture on 
the same subject. He illustrated his subjects with 
a skull which he had under the desk before him. 
It was the skull of a dog. He would bring it up 
from time to time, as if he had many different 
skulls, and point out the different bumps and char- 
acters, qualities etc. He kept the audience in a 
roar from beginning to end. He wrote occasion- 
ally for the Galena Gazette. He was a strong 
vigorous writer, and the Pioneer was sent broad- 
cast over the country by the citizens of St. Paul. 
I think the able editorials in his paper depicting 
in glowing colors the many attractions for settlers 
to be found in this land of many lakes done more 
to draw emigration to Minnesota than any other 
cause. The great excursion of the Chicago and 
Rock Island road, which I have heretofore de- 
scribed helped to quicken the tide of emigration 
set in motion by his facile pen. He got into some 
altercation with a judge, a Southerner, in which 
he was severely cut and wounded. When he got 
about and well enough to write, he published in 
his paper the most scathing attack on the judge. 
Horace Greely I recollect said in his New York 
Tribune that it was written in the most strong 
biteing language that could be expressed. He 
died many years ago, but his paper still survives 
under the name of Pioneer and Press, a union of 



158 

papers between the rival cities of Minneapolis and 
St. Paul. 

Frank Steele, who was for a long time the sut- 
ler at Fort Snelling, I knew. He was a most gen- 
ial and polished gentleman and had much to do 
in building up the beautiful city of Minneapolis 
in its early days. He bought of the government 
the large tract of land lying between Fort Snell- 
ing and Minneapolis, embracing a considerable 
proportion of the southern site of Minneapolis. 
There were a number of others interested with 
him. The price paid was, I think $400 per acre. 
It was thought at the time to be a very good price. 
In St. Anthony, now annexed to Minneapolis, I 
knew |D. B. Dorman and his father very well. 
He was a successful banker for some time, his , 
father built the first warehouse on the river near 
the head, or rather just opposite Necolett Island. 
The whole family were very intimate friends of 
mine, and have all been dead many years. W. C. 
Burbank, who a few years after moved to St. Paul, 
was largely interested with my old friend, Capt. 
Blakely in staging and transportation west of St. 
Paul. I knew very well Burbank's brother Henry, 
who lived at St. Cloud, 120 miles above, I met him 
at St. Cloudfafter a railroad, following the valley 
of the river, reached there. He was interested 
with his brother and Capt. Blakely. I went up 
there on a pleasure trip with my daughter, Mary, 
to see the country, while there, seeing the year- 



159 

ly caravan of wooden carts from far off Pembina, 
or Manitoba, that come in with furs and pel- 
tries. Heretofore they had been in the habit of 
going to St. Paul, but this season .they stopped 
here as they could do just as well as at St. Paul. 
Three or four years before, I was in St. Paul, when 
the Pembina train arrived there, I held out such 
inducements to their leaders to visit Galena, that 
they took a boat andbrought down a large quan- 
tity of Buffalo robes and a large amount of cash 
given in exchange for their furs and peltries by 
the St. Paul, and invested in groceries and such 
other things suited to the trade of their country, 
some of them could speak no English, but one of 
their leaders acted as interpreter. They left a 
number of thousand dollars with the Galena mer- 
chants. Capt. R. Blakely, who was interested 
with the Burbanks in northwestern transportation, 
was a very popular clerk and captain in the Ga- 
lena and Minnesota Packet Co., and was towards 
the close of that company a leading director. 
After he settled in St. Paul he took a leading 
part in the management of some of the numerous 
railroads diverging from St. Paul. He was 
very liberal and broad in his views and was, 
and still is, reckoned one of the foremost 
men in the city of his adoption. He mar- 
ried a daughter of I. P. Sheldon, who at an early 
day of 1833, settled at Peruta, a small hamlet start- 
ed on the little Maquoka, a stream that empties 



160 

into the Mississippi, about five miles above Dubu- 
que. A land office was located there, Thos. Mc- 
Night was register and Mr. Sheldon was receiver. 
In the fall of 1834 I went up there on the steamer 
Winnebago to ship some lead and while there 
called at his house, seeing his amiable wife and 
his three beautiful daughters, The oldest one 
married Judge Drummond, the next Chas. Grat- 
iot, and the youngest, Nelly, married my old time 
friend, Blakely. Mr. Sheldon after this served 
few years in one of the departments at Washing- 
ton, He had a beautiful farm in Wisconsin, at 
Willow Springs. In after years, one of his sons, 
John Sheldon, was employed as cashier in the 
bank of Galena, and afterwards was a clerk for 
the firm of McMaster & Hempstead, 

The town of Winona, was a portion of it laid off 
by Capt. Orrin Smith in 1850. He started his son 
Sylvester in business there as a banker. During the 
financial troubles of 1857, he failed, involving his 
father somewhat in the loss from which he never 
recovered; losing his fine property in Galena, he 
moved to Chicago, and engaged in the manufac- 
ture of brick. This not proving a success, some- 
where in the 70s he moved to Dubuque, ending 
his days there in extreme poverty. He probably 
at one time during the great influx of population 
to Minnesota was more widely known and respect- 
ed as a popular steam boat captain, than any 
other. He superintended the building of very 



161 

many of the fast well appointed steam boats of 
the Galena, Dubuque & Minnesota Packet Co. 
He was president of the company for three or four 
year?. He was a very genial affable man. His 
wife was a sister of the Langworthys, of Dubuque. 
Dr. Langworthy the father of James, Lucius, Solon 
and Edward, came to the state of Illinois at an 
early day. The sons settled at Dubuque, and the 
neighborhood in 1832. They were all able, shrewd 
business men, and took a leading part in build- 
ing up that city, they were very successful in min- 
ing operations as well as in other departments of 
business. They all in after years built for them- 
selves fine residences in the same neighborhood 
on the hill back of the lower part of the city, each 
owning a number of acres, surrounding their 
homes. My old Galena neighbor and friend, 
Capt. Scribe Harris, who was a relative by mar- 
riage, bought a fine residence adjoining his 
brother-in-law in about 1870. The neighborhood 
was a very pleasant one, away from the bustle 
and noise of the city. Besides the Langworthys 
among the early pioneers of Dubuque, I would 
mention a few whom I knew and who all took a 
leading part in building up the city. I. P. Far- 
ley, Peter Waples, P. A. Lorimer, *Gen. G. W. 
Jones, John Hancock, I. H. Randall and Donald 
McKenzie. I. P. Farley done more perhaps to 
develope and increase the trade of the town than 
any one else. He established three or four heavy 



162 

wholesale establishments in different departments 
in 1854 to 1856. A broad minded liberal man. 
When the Northern Pacific went into bankruptcy 
the second time he was appointed receiver, and 
acted in that capacity some years. I noted a 
long pending suit growing out of his connection 
with the road in which he brought suit to recov- 
er millions, has been decided against him in his 
old age. He with his father-in-law, old man 
Johnson, lived in Galena in 1834 and went from 
there to Dubuque. Peter Waples built the first 
large hotel in Dubuque and kept it for some years. 
It has been lately remodeled and is one of the 
best hotels in the state, in all its appointments. 
Peter A. Lorimer, a genial Frenchman was a suc- 
cessful smelter, he had a furnace some distance 
below town, at the mouth of the stream called 
Catfish. There was quite a little settlement there 
in 1837, it was called Rip Ro. He built the Lor- 
imer hotel on the street of the same name, near 
the foot of the bluff. I need not speak of the his- 
tory, of Gen G. Jones, it is so closely identified with 
that of the town and state and heeds no comment. 
Donald McKenzie the father of Major McKenzie 
the present efficient superintendent of the govern- 
ment operations, improving the upper Mississippi; 
[ first knew him in St. Louis in 1835, he was a book- 
keeper in the hardware store of Mr. Shaw, of the 
famous^Shaw garden, which he in after years do- 
nated to the citv. Mr. McKenzie went from St. 



163 

Louis to Potosi, a ruining town in Wisconsin, and 
went into business with a fellow clerk of his at Mr. 
Shaw's, Sam Wilson. He afterwards settled in 
Dubuque buying out the Gregoire ferry. Mr. 
Gregoire was a brother-in-law of Gen. Jones and 
started the ferry in 1836. McKenzie often came 
over to Galena with his two bright little boys 
dressed in Scotch kilts, to see his brother-in-law 
Capt. Thos. Connor, who had his office with me. 
Good genial Capt. Connor was killed at Pittsburg 
Landing, and his body rests in the new Galena 
cemetery, on the hill close along side of that of 
Capt. Hiram Bersie. Over the graves I had erect- 
ed a plain slab of white marble in 1866. 

The town of Cassville was laid off by Governor 
Dewey in about 1840. It is a very pretty site for 
a town on the east bank of the river. The gover- 
nor erected a very fine stone hotel, large and spa- 
cious. Much too large for the wants of that early 
day. Cassville was on the Northern limit of the 
lead mines and a number of fine leads were open- 
ed there. It was quite a shipping point for lead 
and farm products, Rafuffand Geigherwere the 
principal merchants there. It is now one of the 
dead towns on the east side of the river, still it has 
picked up somewhat since the Burlington and 
Northern railroad has been built, as it has a fine 
farming country back of it. 

In 1853 I dissolved partnership with Edward 
Hempstead. He had an advantageous offer to go 



164 

into the wholesale grocery business, in Chicago, 
with the old established house of Norton & Co., 
leaving me to close up what little unsettled busi- 
ness we had. I continued in the pork packing 
and grain buying business and was very successful. 
We initiated a good many railroad projects dur- 
ing the interval between 1854 and 1860. One was 
a connection between Galena and Milwaukee by 
way of Warren. A delegation of some twelve to 
fifteen went on an excursion to Milwaukee in the 
winter. Among them D. A. Barrows, L. S. Felt 
Cephas Foster, E. A. Collins and C. B. Denio. We 
were well received by the Milwaukee people. Wm. 
E. Kramer editor of the Wisconsin was a strong 
advocate for the project, I had met him before 
and had corresponded with his paper. I last met 
him in St. Louis in 1866 at the Lindele Hotel. 
He sat up with me until 12 o'clock talking and 
advocating the candidacy of General Grant for 
president in 1868. He was very deaf and had to 
use a large ear trumpet. He was the first one 
that I had heard speak of this. Edward Hotten 
a prominent citizen of Milwaukee, whom I had 
met at my home in Galena before, invited us all 
to take a ride to Waupon, where the opening of 
the railroad from Milwaukee to that place was 
to be celebrated. He was president of the road 
the first that went out west of Milwaukee. They 
had a banquet to which C. B. Denio, Professor 
Daniels and myself went. Friend Denio was al- 



165 

ways ready to make a speech and this was what 
Daniels and myself went for. Some few rather 
tame speeches were made when Daniels, who was 
State Geologist, of Wisconsin, called out the name 
of C. B. Denio, the Galena brick layer, I followed 
suit and Denio. who was a born natural orator 
made the best speech of the occasion. Sometime 
after a company was organized and some prelim- 
inary surveys were made. I was secretary and 
treasurer. I think the city of Galena issued 500,- 
000 of bonds, which however, fortunately, were 
never sold, but were burned up a few years after. 
At the winding up of the concern, they owed me one 
hundred dollars for money advanced for surveys, 
some years after, when the Narrowgauge railroad 
was organized, it was necessary for tliem to have 
the books in my possession, and I got back my 
advance. 

Another Galena railway project was to build a 
road to the state line of Minnesota, striking that 
state in Mitchel county, crossing the Mississippi 
at Tete des Mort, Captain Gear's gateway to the 
Pacific, and almost every where else. Some money 
was raised and an exploring party sent out, among 
whom was Dr. Ray, a Galena editor at the time, 
who afterwards became famous as the leading 
editor of the Chicago Tribune. He did not go 
through to St. Paul with the expedition. He 
reported a favorable route with the exception 
of getting out of the valley of the Tete des Mort 



166 

to the high lands, some 300 feet above the valley. 
The company was organized and considerable 
stock was taken upon which some money was 
paid for surveys. Capt. Gear spending quite an 
amount on his own account in grading and build- 
ing a heavy wall along the bank of the classic 
TetedesMort. There had been a survey made 
of a number of miles in Iowa. Among the many 
land grants made by congress at this time, was 
a number of thousand acres to the state of Iowa. 
Our member of congress, E. B. Washburn, obtain- 
ed for the Tete des Mort road, a grantfor a portion 
of the land, this road commencing at the west 
side of the Mississippi and striking at the nearest 
point of the intersection on the railroad, then be- 
ing constructed west of Dubuque. It was soon 
ascertained that the nearest point of intersection 
was to follow the Mississippi to the mouth of Tete 
des Mort. A company was organized at Dubuque, 
and the road was built getting the land grant. 
A few years after it was extended to Clinton by 
the same company. So our Tete des Mort project 
fell through, some thousands of dollars had been 
spent, and the city made another batch of bonds, 
500,000, which with the bonds to the Milwaukee 
road were a few years after cremated, and this was 
the last of the attempts of Galena to build railroads. 
The Tete des Mort was a wild, visionary project 
at any rate, involving as it did the building of the 
long expensive bridge across the Mississippi, and 



167 

crossing the high land between Galena and the 
Mississippi. 

In 1854 when the Republican party was organ- 
ized I was a delegate to the Congressional Con- 
vention held at Rockford, that nominated E. B. 
Washburne. It was a close contest between him 
and General Hurlburt afterwards General in the 
War of the Rebellion. The platform took strong 
Anti-Slavery grounds. It was made so, thinking 
Washburne would not endorse it. The General 
made every exertion to get the nomination, but 
Washburne had a strong majority. The district 
which extended t© the lake on the east, included 
some fifteen or twenty counties, had heretofore 
been strongly Democratic and it looked like an al- 
. most hopless contest, but Washburne went in to 
win. An editor at Waukegan whose name I have 
forgotten did very effective work in that part 
of the district. Jo Daviess the residence of both 
"the opposing candidates gave Tom Campbell 
the usual rousing majority, but the returns 
from the Eastern counties of the district, gave 
Washburne a small majority, much to the 
disappointment of my old genial neighbor, 
Thompson Campbell. I am no politician and 
never sought office, but was a delegate to every 
convention that nominated Mr. Washburne for 
all the time he served, 14 years. Of his qualifi- 
cations as a representative, it is hardly necessary 
to speak, as his reputation as a faithful hard work- 



168 

ing member is well known, as well as his untiring 
efforts to sustain Gen. Grant against the combin- 
ed attacks of red tape under McClelland & Hal- 
lack. An old time Democrat in Galena, Uncle 
Jesse Morrison had a claim against the govern- 
ment for mules and horses he had furnished 
during the Black Hawk War. He had had 
it in the hands of Tom Turner, Tom Campbell 
and Edward Baker, but did not get it allowed. 
He said, "I put it in the hands of Washburne and 
he got the money, he is the man for me." After 
this I attended the first Republican state conven- 
tion held at Springfield, as a delegate. Here 1 
first saw Abraham Lincoln. In the afternoon 
when I came into the hall I saw a tall ungainly 
man speaking. He was urging upon his old whig 
friends, like Govenor Palmer, Browning and 
others to join the new party, I soon discovered 
that I was listening to no common man and I in- 
quired who he was. That is Abraham Lincoln,, 
was the reply. Bissell was nominated at this con- 
vention for governor and Newman Bateman for 
state superintendent of public schools. 

Galena and Vicinity From 1850 to 1860. 

The tax levy of Galena was almost always short 
of the amount required to meet the yearly expen- 
ses, and in consequence of a yearly deficiency, the 
city council issued city script to pay forlaborand 



169 

incidental city expenses. In a few years this city 
script was passing and paid out at twenty-five 
cents on the dollar. This was a most ruinous and 
short sighted policy. Somewhere about 1840 in 
the administration of Chas. S. Hempstead as 
mayor, he recommended that this floating script 
should all be called in and funded at fifty cents 
on the dollar. This policy was adopted and bonds 
were issued for a number of thousand dollars 
running for I think twenty years with interest at 
ten per cent. The affairs of the city were miser- 
ably managed, generally under Democratic rule, 
the Irish vote usually deciding the elections. Rep- 
resentative men of means, and standing could 
not be elected, and the aldermen chosen were al- 
ways fearful of injuring their popularity, if they 
should levy any increased tax. In consequence 
this city with hundreds of wealthy men, having 
more wealth than any other city of three times 
its size in the west, kept running behind from 
year to year. A small annual levy of 50 cents 
additional each year for a few years would have 
placed the city's finances on a sound basis. The 
business men who very seldom were chosen alder- 
men, were all to busy making money to pay any 
attention to city affairs. We all seemed to forget 
that sometime a day of reckoning must inevitably 
come. Things drifted in this way until about 
1870. The interest on the bonds had not been 
met for some years, and the bonds were due. In 



170 

the meantime the population of the poor old town 
was falling off. Man}' of her best business men 
moved to Chicago and other points. The bond 
holders had got tired waiting for their money and 
interest. The city was sued and judgement given 
against it. What little city property there was, 
was attached. The market house with the small 
city hall in the second story was about all the 
bond holders could find. Finally a mandamas 
was issued compelling the city council to levy a 
certain am ^unt of tax each year sufficient to meet 
the indebtedness. The tax was levied, but it was 
not collected for two or three years, some of the 
•city officers resigning, whose duty it was to collect 
the tax, finally a compromise was made, the city 
agreeing to pay 50 cents on the indebtness in the 
course of a few years. The indebtedness was all 
settled some ten years ago. 

To show how reckless the average city council 
was I will give an instance. The council wished 
to make some needed street improvments, but 
they had no money belonging to the city with 
which to do it. The fund collected for the sup- 
port of the public schools as well as thestate funds 
set apart for the same purpose were deposited with 
the city treasurer, and the teachers received their 
pay through the city council. They took two 
thousand dollars from this fund, and used it for 
city purposes, which they had no legal right to 
do, and they ought to have been indicted for this 



171 

illegal act. The next season when I was a mem- 
ber of the Board of Education and was acting as 
superintendent for that year, while we were put- 
ting up the new high school building, I called on 
the city authorities for the! $2,000 they had taken. 
They gave us a five years bond for the amount. 
We wanted the funds to fit out the new school 
house with furniture. I. A. Packard, who was 
going east took the bond with him to Boston and 
bought the needed furniture at cash prices. This 
was not paid until 1880. Another sample of the 
stupidity or knavery, of the average city coun- 
cil men. 

The Catholics had two large parochial schools 
and some of their leaders thought it cost too much 
to keep them up, so a petition was gotten up to 
the city council, asking them to take these Catho- 
lic schools and call them public schools and to 
pay the teachers from the public funds. The pe- 
tition was signed by Nicholas Dowling a lead- 
ing Catholic, and a number of politicians, and 
among the rest by two of the members of the 
board of education, Wm. Cary and Henry Foltz, 
I was the other member, but was not called on to 
sign the petition. I well knew that this would 
be an illegal act, and called on Wm. Cary, a law- 
yer, who ought to have known better than to sign 
the petition and told him I would not consent to 
anything of the kind. He agreed that I was right 
and joined me in notice to the two Catholic teach- 



172 

ers that they would not be paid their wages from 
the school funds and this ended the matter. 

When I first came to Galena there were quite 
a number of colored people, who were slaves. 
Swancy Adams was one of the number, he belong- 
ed to a gambler by the name of Duncan. Swancy 
was a hard working industrious man. He was 
to have a portion of his wages and was working 
late and early to earn enough to obtain his free- 
dom. He usually done all the jobs he could get, 
but most of his time was put in piling lead on the 
levee. Some days he would earn four dollars, and 
he had earned nearly enough to pay for himself 
and soon expected to see the happy day when he 
could call himself a free man. His master had 
been very unsuccessful in his gambling and one day 
he came to Swancy, when a boat was lying at the 
levee and told him he must send him to Missouri. 
Swancy knew that this meant he would sell him 
into slavery. He begged and pleaded with his 
master saying, k 'massa, haint I been a good faith- 
ful servant to you, and now when I have most 
paid for myself you send me away to a new mas- 
ter into slavery. Duncan persisted in putting 
him on the boat, and put hand cuffs on him, 
when some of Swancy's friends interfered and 
would not let Duncan send him off. They paid 
the small amount that was due and Swancy spent 
the rest of his days in Galena. When he got to 
old to do hard work he got himself a water cart 



173 

and for many a year his familiar face was seen 
carrying pure spring water to his numerous cus- 
tomers. 

Aunt Susan Coleman came to Galena with her 
Kentucky master in 1828. She was a noted nurse 
and she took charge of nearly all the little ones as 
they came along in the lower part of the town in 
my neighborhood. She was also trying to earn 
her freedom. When she had money enough at 
last to make the last payment she took it to her 
master and wanted him to make out her freedom 
papers, he put her off with some kind of writing 
which she showed to George W. Campbell, and he 
told her that would not do. So he went to her 
master and made him make out her free papers. 
She was a shrewd old woman, with a keen insight 
of character. Who does not remember Stalwart, 
old Jack Barton, black as the ace of spades, going 
around with his dray, a great favorite along the 
levee, with his inseperable companion drayman, 
Ned Mahar, the broken nosed Irishman. Some- 
times Ned would get tight and be found in a sa- 
loon by his brave little wife. She would say to 
him, "Ned ! Ned! Come home!" She would lead 
him out to the dray getting on behind herself. 
Ned would whip up his horse over the rough road 
trying to throw her off. 

Two men came to Galena along in the 50s from 
Northern Missouri, looking for colored servants 
for a hotel just opening on the line of the Hanni- 



174 

bal & St. Jo railroad. They offered good wages. 
They induced Jerry Boyd, his wife and daughter, 
to start with them. They had a covered wagon. 
Jerry noticed that they always kept the cover 
closed and took unfrequented roads avoiding go- 
ing through towns. Somewhere near the middle 
of Iowa when they were in the woods eating their 
dinner, Jerry suspecting from their secret move- 
ments that something was wrong, told them so, 
saying that he vvould'go no farther with them. 
Finding that their game was up as far as Jerry 
was concerred, they shot him, leaving his body 
there in the woods and pursued their way to 
Buchannan county in Missouri, threatening the 
wife and daughter with death if they made any 
attempt to escape. Some weeks after a letter was 
received from the wife by a friend of theirs in Ga- 
lena, telling of Jerry's death and of their being 
held in slavery. This dastardly act stealing free 
negroes and carrying them off into slavery creat- 
ed intense excitement among all right minded 
people in Galena. Jerry Boyd was much respect- 
ed as a sober industrious man and had resided in 
the city for a number of years. One thousand dol- 
lars was raised at once and Sam Hughletta brave 
determined man, a Kentuckian by birth and W. 
W. Wigley, a shrewd sharp lawyer, went to Mis- 
souri with necessary papers to arrest the villians. 
When they arrived at their destination they went 
to a Judge of the Circuit Court and got out a writ 



175 

for the arrest of the two negro stealers. The judge 
had the reputation of being the best and most re- 
spected man in the county. His family consisted of a 
colored woman, not his wife and a number of mul- 
atto children. The men were arrested, without any 
trouble from the crowd that gathered around the 

cars, denouncing the d d negro stealers and 

were put in charge of the sheriff. When they ar- 
rived at the next station, a few miles off they were 
met by a large crowd of Missourians, w T ho rushed 

on the cars, shouting "where are the d d negro 

stealers! We will lynch them," The prisoners 
were hustled off the cars with the sheriff, and that 
was the termination of the attempt to punish 
Southern negro stealers. The wife and daughter 
of Jerry were rescued however from slavery and 
brought back to Galena. Our old friend Sam 
Hughlett denounced the Missouri Democrats in 
bitter terms, saying I have done with the Demo- 
crat party after this. This was about the time of 
the Kansas troubles in the days of squatter sov- 
ereignty as advocated by Stephen A. Douglas. 
Steeling free negroes along the line of the border 
states was a common occurrance. It was done 
however by a set of lawless desperadoes much like 
our western horse thieves. The mass of slave- 
holders did not countenance these outrages. 

There had been a number of robberies and at- 
tempts at arson along in the 50s. The Eagle sa- 
loon kept at this time by Alex Young, which stood 



17-6 

on the site of the present Saint Louis store had 
been set on fire three different times. The last 
time the attempt was successful. A store on the 
corner southeast from this was also burned down 
This last was probably done by the owner who 
was heavily insurred. A safe belonging to Deacon 
Long's lumber yard was broken open and its con- 
tents taken. There was so many outrages of this 
kind committed without any clew to the perpe- 
trators that a vigilance committee was organized 
A number of suspected characters were brought 
up before Judge Lynch. Pomp Stevens a lawyer, 
was the one who usually interogated the culprits. 
He had a strong sonorous voice which was gener- 
ally used with telling effect. Nothing came out 
of the efforts of the organization, except to stop 
the outrages. No one was brought to justice. 
While the lynchers had their hands in, they 
heard of a man up on the hill who was frequently 
whipping his wife. Sometimes he would make 
her go out to the stable where he would whip her 
most unmercifully with a whip crying "whoe, 
whoe," to his horse, so that the neighbors would 
think he was punishing his horse. He was taken 
out to the stable and given a good hiding with 
the same whip and then was well covered with a 
coat of tar and feathers, which his poor wife was 
obliged to remove for him the same night. It 
seemed to be a hereditary trait with him as his 
father, it was said, used towhip his wife. One of 



177 

his brothers attempted to whip his wife soon after 
they were married, ending rather disasterously to 
him and forever breaking up his constitutional 
tendenc} 7 . She was a strong determined woman 
and she turned the tables on him by giving him 
a terrible thrashing. She was not troubled again 
in this way. 

A Mr. Barttell from Quincy, 111., established the 
Galena Gazette as early as 1839, I think. He 
was succeeded by H. H. Houghton soon after. 
He came from Vermont, was a vigorous writer 
and always conducted a clean reliable paper. 
Cephas Foster and W. W. Huntington a few years 
after, joined him in the management of the paper. 
Mr. Huntington was the business manager. The 
weekly had a very wide circulation all over the 
northwest at that time, and it still has a large 
circulation among the many Galenians who are 
to be found in almost every town in the West. J. 
B, Brown became associated with the paper later 
and has been the sole editor and proprieter for 
some years. Mr. Houghton was not only a vigor- 
ous writer, but he was also a practical printer. 
He could do what but few editors could. He com- 
posed his editorials and set up the type at the 
same time. Soon after the close of the war he was 
appointed as envoy to Honolulu. He stayed 
there but a short time as he did not like the mis- 
sion. He had always wanted to be postmaster 
at Galena, and would probably have received the 



178 

appointment under Lincoln's administration, had 
not his former associate, W. W. Huntington held 
it for two terms. After his return from Honolulu,, 
the old faithful editor received the appointment 
he had waited for so long. He was a very quiet 
and somewhat eccentric man, somewhat of a seer,, 
sometimes predicting the future career of men. 
He certainly commenced predicting the military 
career of Ulyssus Grant. When Grant took that 
unruly regiment at Springfield and marched 
them over land to Missouri, marching down 
through that state, scattering the guirillas who, 
were infesting that point of the state, he said in 
his paper that Grant would before the close of the 
war become one of the foremost leaders of the 
war. He continued these predictions all along 
through the earlier stages of Grant's eventful car- 
eer. After the close of the war these editorials of 
his were republished, and I read them, and truly 
they seemed to be an unveiling of the future. I 
do not know whether these editorials have been 
preserved or not, in the files of the Galena. Gazette. 
W. W. Huntington was a very genial companion- 
able man. He was my near neighbor and an in- 
timate associate. We formed a literary associa- 
tion for the purpose of securing a course of lec- 
tures, and in connection we opened a reading 
room intending it for the nuclus of a future li- 
brary. We engaged some of the foremost lecturers 
of the time. Ralph Waldo, Emerson Lowell, John 



179 

G. Saxe, Bayard Taylor, Horace Greely, Tom 
Marshall and others. I was president of the as- 
sociation, and my friend, Huntington was secre- 
tary and treasurer. I met Emerson at the depot 
and took him to my house. I was always a great 
admirer of his. The foremost philosopher of this 
or any other age. I have read and re-read his con- 
duct of life and other lectures of his, and in each 
re-reading I find and appreciate some new truth. 
The next day after the lecture I took him out to 
see the famous Marsden diggings. It was in the 
winter season. We descended into the cave with 
a light furnished by one of the miners. The cave 
had a great many beautiful stalactites of pyrites 
of iron and cubes of galena. On our way home 
I took the wrong road, and wandered around 
among the deep wooded hills for sometime. Mr. 
Emerson seemed to enjoy the wild lonely drive 
very much, remarking that losing our way gave 
us a longer and pleasant ride. My wife and my- 
self had spent some days at Concord, Massachusetts, 
the year before, visiting her relatives. I did not 
meet him but I visited his unique rustic house. 
He impressed me as having a most lovable child- 
like nature. 

Horace Greely visited us in mid-winter. It had 
been snowing heavily, and the railroads were 
much obstructed. He had lectured the night be- 
fore at Mineral Point, 40 miles away. He had 
hired a team to bring him in to Galena, a coldun- 



180 

pleasant ride. He came to my house and stayed 
with me all night after the lecture. In his lec- 
ture he commenced reading his manuscript in a 
sing song kind of a way and up and down. In a 
short time he said ''I do not find what I want to 
say to you here," and laying down his notes he 
gave us a stirring off-hand address on the tariff 
and other matters connected with daily practical 
life. He was to lecture the next night at Free- 
port, 50 miles east. The night train had not 
arrived, and he was very much worried about 
meeting his appointment. Saying that if the 
train did not get in, he must hire a team and 
take another long tedious ride. After breakfast 
we started for the depot, on the bridge we met a 
man, who told us the train was just in. Horace 
jumped at least three feet high in his glee over 
his escape from detention. I had met Mr. Greely 
once before in his office in New York in 1846. 
I met him afterwards in Dubuque in company 
with Cornelius Vanderbilt. This was in 1873; I 
called at the hotel to see him, and we went to the 
Universalist church together. We sat in the same 
pew, when the hymn was read I noticed his eyes 
closed, Vanderbilt said to me, hand him the book 
he is not asleep. It was a habit of his to always 
close his eyes during service, seeming to be asleep, 
but when the sermon was over he could give you 
a clear account of all that was said. I have al- 
ways been an admirer of Horace Greely. I think he 



181 

done more in his day to disseminate, correct prin- 
ciples and improve public sentiment than any or 
all other newspaper editors. I have always been a 
decided Republican, but in 1874 I voted for him. 
I have taken his paper nearly all my life. The 
result of that election and his losing control of his 
Tribune broke the old man's heart. I recollect 
the lecture of brilliant Tom Marshall, the Ken- 
tuckian well. What a scoring he gave the Demo- 
cratic party for their long course of "dog in the 
manger" policy, and his tribute to the sons of 
New England for their indomitable energy in 
overcoming the adverse legislation of the Demo- 
cracy. 1 recollect he had to steady himself against 
one of the iron columns of the hall as he poured 
fourth in burning words his arraignment of the 
Democracy. The course of lectures was kept up 
for some years. During the seige of Vicksburg, 
a refugee, who had made his escape through our 
lines and came to Galena, he was a Southerner, 
a good talker, so we had him give us a lecture on 
the seige of Vicksburg. He had been there nearly 
all the time up to its capture. He was something 
of a wag and would describe some of the ludicrous 
scenes enacted there. About their being obliged 
to burrow in the hills to avoid the falling bombs, 
how sometimes the bombs would strike a stove 
while their dinner was cooking, just before 
their anticipated meal. Occasionally his discrip- 
tions of the suffering of the women and children 



182 

in the beleagured city were quite pathetic. At the 
close we made him up a purse of fifty dollars for 
which he seemed to be very thankful and some- 
what surprised as he did not expect any such 
amount. 

We found it rather difficult to keep up our read- 
ing room and what few books we had were turned 
over to an institution called a theological semi- 
nary, built on the high point of land back of the 
court house. When this was started at first the 
Presbytery of Northern Illinois intended it to be a 
theological seminary for that denomination, and 
subscriptions were taken up for that purpose. 
Dr. Patterson came over from Chicago and met a 
number of delegates, who were called together to 
locate the new seminary. He was much opposed 
to its location at Galena, and it was finally locat- 
ed at Chicago. The ground had been purchased 
to build a seminary of learning on the site, and 
trustees were elected, most of them belonging to 
the Presbyterian church. They elected me as one 
of the number as being identified with the educa- 
tional interest of the city. I was elected treasur- 
er and took charge of the erection of the building. 
When completed it cost some four thousand dol- 
lars. We then commenced looking around for 
some one who would take charge of the school 
and devote a part of his time to raising some ad- 
ditional funds for the institution. Dr. Newhall 
at a meeting of the trustees, said he had just the 



183 

man for the purpose, Professor Foster, who came 
from Rockford. So he was engaged at a fair sal- 
ary, and in the course of two months some fifty 
•or more pupils were in attendance. Foster was a 
very plausible man, but I soon suspected he was 
a fraud. He advertised a course of lectures, phil- 
osophical and amusing, for these lectures he obtain- 
ed a considerable amount of apparatus, chemical 
and otherwise, giving exhibitions of laughing gas 
etc. This apparatus he had insured for three or 
four times its value as we learned some months 
after. One night there was a fire alarm, the fire 
breaking out about 9 o'clock. The building and 
all its contents were consumed. The Professor 
left soon after for Kansas after getting the insur- 
ance on his fixtures. Fortunately I had applied 
for four thousand dollars insurance only a few 
days before. The application was entered, but 
the money had not been paid, and I went to the 
agent and he allowed me to pay it, and made out 
the policy at the date of the application. This 
enabled me to pay off all the indebtedness for ma- 
terials and labor. I learned after that this profes- 
sor was seen to go into the basement of the building 
on the night of the fire. There was a large quan- 
tity of boxes and shavings there, and he without 
doubt applied the match. He went to Kansas and 
invested his ill gotten gains in a farm. A year 
or two after, Dr. Newhall received a most pit- 
ious begging letter from him, saving he and his 



184 

family were starving. It was the year of excessive 
drouth and grasshoppers in Kansas. Things gen- 
erally get evened up, even in this life. 

I attended the Republican convention held in 
the wigwam at Chicago, that nominated Abraham 
Lincoln. The day before the vote was taken my 
friend Huntington and myself visited a number 
of the headquarters of different states, mostly of 
New England states. From the general drift of 
their remarks I was satisfied that Lincoln would 
receive the nomination. When the voting com- 
menced I had secured a seat on the upper teer, 
overlooking the vast assembly, and also could see 
out in the street where the crowd was awaiting the 
final vote. When the final vote was taken, the 
crowd outside seemed to know it by intuition even 
before it was announced. The Pennsylvania 
crowd with their splendid band, struck up their 
music, but it was drowned by the cheers that 
rent the air. They threw up their hats again 
and again. All seemed to be jubilant except the 
friends of Seward. They were sorely disappoint- 
ed at the unexpected result. Lincoln's celebrated 
debates with Douglas and his great speech at the 
Cooper Institute in New York, had brought him 
into prominence as a man of the people. His 
masterly effort at Freeport, iu which he complete- 
ly mastered the wily little giant was, widely cir- 
culated and read. I was fortunate enough to 
hear this debate. 



185 
Steamboating on the Upper Mississippi. 



I will now go back awhile and try to describe 
the rise and fall of the steamboat interest in Ga- 
lena, and at other points along the river. About 
the time when the tide of the eastern emigration 
commenced flowing towards Minnesotta, Mr. Lode- 
wick came to Galena with a small boat and com- 
menced making regular trips to St. Paul. A num- 
ber of our citizens took an interest with him. From 
this small beginning grew the Galena & Minne- 
sota Packet Co. New boats were added from 
year to year. Capt. Orrin Smith brought out the 
Nominee, a fast favorite boat, making a trip every 
week. The next season the Harris brothers, 
Smith and Scribe, bought a very last boat called 
the West Newton and commenced running in op- 
position to the Packet Co., in order to force them 
to take them into the Co. The two boats would 
leave at the same hour, at each end of the route, 
and it would be a race all the way up and down 
between the two brother-in-laws. The Nominee 
developing unexpected racing qualities. There 
was not much cutting of prices. They made two 
trips each week. The West Newton would attain 
great speed for a short time under a full head of 
steam. One day I was standing on the river bank 
just below town in front of our mill, when the 
West Newton came tearing down, splitting the 
little river wide open. The water was high. A 



186 

dutchman was just getting ready to launch his 
ski If, when the waves from the steamboat struck 
him and his skiff, rolling both up the sloping 
bank a number of feet. The Dutchman picked 
himself up and said "By tarn ! What kind of a 
steamboat is dat, tearing de river up." The next 
season the Harris boys were taken into the Co. 
Two more of the Lodewicks, Preston and Kennedy, 
came to Galena and took command of some 
of the company's boats. The company con- 
tinued to add two more boats each year and a 
number of Dubuque men became interested, the 
company was then called The Galena, Dubuque 
<fe Minnesota Co. When the railroad reached 
Prairie Du Chein, H. L. Dousman took a large 
share of stock, and the Milwaukee & Itaska were 
built for that trade, Nearly all the new boats 
were built under the supervision of Orrin Smith, 
except the Grey Eagle and St. Paul, which 
were built by Capt. Smith Harris. All the 
new boats the company owned were built at Cin- 
cinnatti. When a railroad reached La Crosse 
they made an arrangement to carry the rail- 
road freight of that road. A man called Commo- 
dore Davidson (in after years) came round 
from the Kenhawa river with an ordinary boat 
and commenced running from La Crosse to St. 
Paul, carrying freight and passengers at the 
same rates apparently, but he had a secret under- 
standing with the railroad, by which he gave 



187 

them a draw back on the business. In this way 
he secured all the business of the road. The next 
season the Packet Co., made an agreement with 
him, taking forty thousand dollars stock in the 
La Crosse line, putting on one or two of their 
boats. The La Crosse railroad being the shortest 
line from Chicago to Minnesota got the largest 
share of the immense traffic that was coming from 
the east to Minnesota. At the next annual meet- 
ing of the stockholders of the Packet Co., at Dun- 
leith, Davidson sent no report of the earnings 
of that part of the line. Two of our number were 
appointed a committee to go to La Crosse and have 
Davidson render an account. It was well known 
that the net earning had been near $200,000. 
When the delegates returned they reported that 
he would pay over to the company $125,000 as 
the earnings. This amount was accepted. It 
turned out that our delegates had agreed to go in 
with Davidson in this line. He was a shrewd 
unscrupulous man and had a faculty by which 
he could deceive most men and make them his 
willing tools. For ways that were dark and 
trickery, he would beat the heathen Chinee, 
Well these two men who went in with him got 
their reward, at least one of them, that I know, as 
they never received any dividends. The earnings 
were all absorbed in repairs of boats repaired in 
Davidson's boat yard at La Crosse, and in insur- 
ance and drawbacks. Scribe Harris one of the 



188 

victims told me he never received a cent of divi- 
dend except in watered stock, which amounted 
to $70,000. A few years after, when he met Dav- 
idson, he told him he was a d d rascal and a 

thief, saying to him "I will sell you my stock for 
anything you will give." Davidson said he would 
give him 12J cents a share, and Harris took it. 
A few years after Davidson boughtthe line. There 
was a contest between the two companies lasting 
nearly all one summer. J. Russel Jones and 
Capt. Blakely carried on the contest for the Packet 
Co., against Davidson. Passengers and freight 
were carried at nominal prices, both companies 
lost heavily, and the Packet company commenced 
going down after this. The great rush to Min- 
nesota had ceased, and the railroads had absorb- 
ed much of the business. In the winding up the 
business of the company the stock was sold most- 
ly at 25 cents on the dollar and some for less, 
and so this once powerful company with its many 
fast steamers, disappeared from the upper Mis- 
sissippi, which they for so many years had con- 
trolled. 

In the 50s another steamboat company was or- 
ganized by bringing together into one company 
a number of boats that were owned alongthe line 
of the river between St. Louis and Galena, engag- 
ed in trade between St. Louis and St. Paul. Capts. 
Ward and Griffith of St. Louis, Capt. Tom Buford, 
of Rock Island, Capts. John and Tom Rhodes, of 



189 

Savanna, and Jerry Woods, of Sabula, and some 
five or six in Galena, who had an interest in two 
or three boats. It was called the Northern Line, 
with head quarters in East St. Louis. The com- 
pany was very successful and paid good dividends 
for many years, until that wiecker of steamboat 
interests on the upper Mississippi, having destroy- 
ed the Minnesota Packet Co., and built himself 
up on fhe ruins, commenced running his boats 
to St. Louis, seeking whom he might devour. He 
soon commenced cutting passenger rates. At 
this time during the hot summer months there 
was a great rush of passengers from New Orleans 
and St. Louis seeking health and recreation in 
the cool breezes of the north. Boats were usually 
very much crowded, so that it was sometimes dif- 
ficult for us way passengers to obtain a berth. 
The wily Davidson was after the lucrative traffic 
and another object he had was to get control of 
this line and wreck it for his own benefit. So as 
I said he commenced cutting passenger rates un- 
til the rate for passenger transportation to St. 
Paul from St. Louis was cut down to one dollar 
and boats of both lines were crowded with all 
sorts of passengers, carrying with them their own 
provisions. This was kept up for some months. 
In the fall both companies were exhausted. Un- 
fortunately for our company they agreed to let 
Davidson in the next season. Capt. Tom Buford 
called on the stockholders in the winter for their 



190 

signatures and the fatal deed was done. Stock- 
holders received no dividends after this as by the 
time the two companies were out of debt, David- 
son had control, having secured the control of a 
majority of the stockholders. It was done in this 
way, the Keokuk or McUne line, as it was called, 
running between St. Louis and Keokuk had been 
merged with the Northern Line some two years 
before Davidson had been taken in. McUne dy- 
ing, who owned most of the stock in this line, it 
was found that the line was heavily in debt and 
that the stock must be sold to pay the indebted- 
ness. Our people ought to have bought it at once, 
but didnot,and Davidson stepedin and bought it 
which gave him the control of the Northern Line 
by some few shares of stock. The directors of the 
Northern Line had been elected for another year 
a short time before the sale. So Davidson did not 
get control until the next year, in about 1870. 

The first thing Davidson done the next season 
was to call on the stockholders of the line for a 
20 per cent assessment to pay off the indebted- 
ness made by repairs etc. Some of them were 
foolish enough to respond. Our old citizen, Bill 
Henderson paid his 20 per cent on $30,000 worth 
of stock, for which he never received a cent. 
Some $55,000 worth of this stock was owned and is 
still held in Rock Island. This robber, of every 
steamboat interest on the upper Mississippi, has 
gone to his revvard. When he consumated his 



191 

last and greatest steal in St. Louis he was hold- 
ing outdoor revival meetings on the levee of St. 
Louis,and he took his final departure from this 
world in all the order of sanctity. 

This in brief is a rough sketch of the rise and 
culmination of navigation on the upper Mississip- 
pi as carried on by these powerful companies 
whose substantial well constructed, commodious 
boats once plowed the waters of this grand old 
river, the upper Mississippi. Now its waters flow 
on almost un vexed towards the sea. A few or- 
dinary stern wheel boats belonging to the Dia- 
mond Jo Line, a few raft boats towing logs to the 
saw mills along the river, a few small boats ply- 
ing between cities scattered along the river. This 
is what has taken the place of the magnificent 
boats of years ago, transporting the thousands of 
passengers who for pleasure or business crowded 
their decks. It causes a feeling of sadness to 
steal over me when I think of the many 
pleasant days, I have passed in going down 
the great river, of the many pleasant casual 
acquaintances I have made, of the many warm 
friends I had amoung the captains, pilots and 
clerks, now all gone with the exception of here 
and there an aged one who still remains. They 
have left this state of existance for a better and 
brighter one. Government is spending large 
amounts every year in improving the navigation 
of the river, and the river is now in a better con- 



192 

dition for navigation than ever before, but the 
outlay seems almost useless as far as transporta- 
tion of any kind of freight is concerned. Rail- 
roads now, anaconda like with almost contin- 
ous lines along each side of the river, throttle all 
attempts at competition in this day when rapid 
transit is required, saving insurance and loss of 
time. People have become so accustomed to be 
whirled along at the rate of forty miles an hour 
that I fear if some enterprising capitalist would 
invest his surplus in a few fast steamers for the 
accommodation of Southern tourists he would be 
disappointed. Perhaps in after ages when the 
Americans shall have learned the lesson that this 
mad rush after wealth is a delusion, shall have 
learned to be more quiet, the dear old river may 
be restored to its former usefulness. Then social, 
happy intercourse shall once more be found in 
the pallatial cabins of the steamers of the fu- 
ture. If Uncle Sam is making these many im- 
provements with this object in view — all right. 



Breaking out of the Rebellion. Incidents of the 
Civil War in Galena. 



In 1860 after the breaking out of the Rebel- 
lion the first company of soldiers organized in 
Galena belonged to the 12th regiment of volun- 
teers. McArthur was the colonel in command 
and Augustus Chetlain was elected captain. The 



193 

regiment was ordered to go to East St. Louis. 
They went into camp a few miles back from the 
river at the base of the bluff. They were sent 
there soon after the breaking up of the rebels, 
who had gathered at camp Jackson, to watch the 
further moves of the rebels, of St. Louis. I went 
down there with some supplies the ladies had fit- 
ted out for our boys. Rubber blankets were made 
for the whole company. I camped and messed 
with the boys two or three days. My only ex- 
perience of camp life. They had a rebel prison- 
er with them, a Mr. McDonald, who was so out- 
rageous that Gen. Lyon sent him over to Col. 
McArthur for safe keeping. He was one of the 
captains at camp Jackson. While there I went 
over to St. Louis on business. Calling at the 
counting room of my friend Rufus Lackland, I 
found quite a number of men there who sympa- 
thized with the rebellion. They said Missouri 
would secede. I told them if every man, woman 
and child in the state wished to leave the Union 
they would not be allowed to secede. The hotel 
at which I stopped was kept by Sparks & Sparr. 
They were both sympathizers and denounced the 
d d dutch soldiers, who attacked camp Jack- 
son under the brave Gen. Lyon. Sparks former- 
ly kept the De Soto House in Galena, and he and 
Sparr took and kept the Lindell in St. Louis when 
it first opened. Captain Ulysses Grant was at 
this time a clerk in the leather store of Grant & 

13 



194 

Perkins. I bought the rubber goods of him from 
which the coats were made for the boys in camp at 
East St. Louis. I first met Capt. Grant in 1859 in 
the Galena market square. He was buying dress- 
ed hogs to ship to his father in Ohio. He had 
on a soldiers blue overcoat, I inquired who he 
was and was told he was a son of Mr. Jesse Grant. 
He then lived in a small frame tenement on the 
hill, a quiet reticent man then, but little known 
He came to Galena from St. Louis in the fall of 
1857. He had been trying to make a living on a 
farm a few miles out of St. Louis given him by his 
father-in-law, Mr. Dent. While on the farm, in 
the winter season he waald haul wood into St. 
Louis and sell it. A St. Louis merchant, a friend 
of mine told me he bought a number of cords of 
him. In conversation with R. H. McClellan, of 
Galena, he said that he had received a military 
education at West Point and that in this contest 
for the existance of our free institutions he felt 
that his services were due to his country. Mr. 
McClellan was a member of the state legislature 
and he gave him a letter to Governor Dick Yates. 
He set him to work drilling the new regiments of 
volunteers that had gathered at Springfield. 
He was soon after given the command of 
that wild unruly regiment, that he led to Miss- 
ouri. He had no money to buy a horse and 
equipments, and he applied to E. A. Collins, who 
had been a partner with his father in the Galena 



195 

store, who loaned him $200 for his outfit, E. A. 

Collins clone this much for the Union cause and 
as the sequel proved, this little act of kindness to 
the son of his former partner had far reaching 
consequences. But I am sorry to say that neigh- 
bor Collins was so far carried away by his party 
sympathy with the democracy of the South that 
he was considered one of the leaders of the rebel 
element of Galena. That there was a strong rebel 
element in and around Galena, some of the South- 
ern leaders were led to believe by the representa- 
tions made to them through a correspondence 
that was opened with Mr. Boteller, a member of 
congress from Virginia by M. Y. Johnson. It is 
said that he told Boteller that quite a strong num- 
ber of people about Galena sympathized with the 
South. This was about the time that some of the 
rebel leaders who were in Canada, tried to organ- 
ize a force to liberate and arm the rebel prisoners 
in Chicago, and also the large number of prison- 
ers confined at the barracks on Rock Island. 
There is no doubt that there was a well concocted 
conspiracy organized by the rebels for this object. 
M. Y. Johnson, who was a pronounced rebel, in 
his bragging, boasting way trying to show his im- 
portance, no doubt led the rebel leaders, some of 
them at least, to believe that he could make a large 
diversion in their favor in this section. The day 
we received the news of the death of that brave 
leader, Lyon, in Southwest Missouri, I heard John- 



196 

son say he was glad of it, and that he wished all 
the soldiers who went there to invade Missouri 
were hung, or that they ought to be. 

There were a large number of Irish Catholics 
in Galena. They were so carried away by their 
love of Democracy that the large mass of them 
sympathized with the South. One of their num- 
ber however, William Ryan, a strong union man, 
and a man of great influence among them, com- 
menced raising a company of volunteers in 1863 
and induced a large number of the most rough 
and unruly ones to join, and a full company was 
made up from Galena and vicinity. I think they 
went to Chicago and became part of the regiment 
under Milligan or Corcoran. Mr. Ryan's efforts were 
untiring, sparing neither time or means in get- 
ingthis unruly element away to where they might 
be of service to his country's cause. At one time 
during the war things looked so threatening with 
us in consequence of the attitude of the rebel ele- 
ment among us that the loyal men were furnish- 
ed with arms by the state, and a company was 
formed of a hundred or more who met on the 
hill once or twice a week for the purpose of drills, 
and our Union League met often in our hall. In 
1864 when I was in St. Louis I bought and for- 
warded to my friend Huntington, some 20 to 30 
Henry 16 shooter rifles costing $50 each, sending 
one to be used by myself. In 1863 the county 
was offering a bounty for volunteers to fill up the 



197 

96th regiment. There was a large crowd collect- 
ed around the headquarters of the recruiting sta- 
tton, and there was considerable excitement. A 
burly Englishman from the country was very 
noisy and boisterous in his rebel talk, saying the 
county would not pay the bounty, that they had 
no right to offer a bounty. I said to him you 
will be arrested if you keep up this talk, discour- 
aging enlistments, I stood close to him, he drew 
off to strike me, but my good friend Scribe Har- 
ris stood just behind me. He struck the burly 
Englishman over my shoulder and he lay pros- 
trated at my feet. This affray led to the arrest 
of the Englishmen for discouraging enlistments 
and a little German corporal, who had been dis- 
charged from his company, and had been talking 
about the enlistments was also arrested. The next 
day the United States marshall, J. Russel Jones 
came over and arrested M. Y. Johnson and David 
Sheean. They were transported to Fort Lafayette 
and serving their country there a short time, they 
were set a liberty. The rebel element was toler- 
able quiet after this until 1864, when the assem- 
bled, Democracy at Chicago declared "the war a 
failure," and nominated their favorite McClelland, 
one of the greatest failures as a leader of armies 
that was thrown to the surface during the war. 
I wish 'I could recall his boasting words in his 
address to his little army on their return from 
West Virginia where they had been engaged in a 



198 

few skirmishes, which could hardly be called batt- 
les. In this address he aped the style of the great 
Napoleon in his famous addresses to his troops 
whose battles decided the fate of nations. During 
this fall the rebel portion of the Democracy were 
very out-spoken and aggressive in the North. It 
was at this time, when I was living in St. Louis 
that 1 sent up the rifles. We raised a fund of some 
$2,000 for the support of the destitute familes of 
the volunteers who had enlisted. This fund was 
destributed to their families by I. A. Packard 
and myself. When the soldiers in Capt. Conner's 
company received their pay, the captain sent it to 
me and I paid it over to their families. The cap- 
tain, who was an uncleof Major McKenzie of Rock 
Island, was killed in the battle at Pittsburg Land- 
ing. He was a noble, brave man, the soul of 
honor. Sanitary stores were gathered in from 
Galena and surrounding country and forwarded 
to the different regiments composed in part of Jo 
Daviess Co., volunteers. In 1862 Mr. Washburn ob- 
tained commissions for the officers of a regiment 
called the Lead mine regiment. It was the 45th. 
John A.Rawlins was Colonel, J. A. Maltby, Lieut- 
enant Colanel, and John E. Smith, was Major. 
The regiment was soon filled up and it was dis- 
tinguished as a crack regiment in the siege of 
Vicksburg. As is well known, John A. Rawlins 
was selected by Gen. Grant as his chief of staff, 
and his right hand man all through the war. His 



199 

father was a charcoal burner out in the wooded 
hills of Jo Daviess. He was often seen in the 
streets of Galena supplying the blacksmiths with 
charcoal. His son who had received a good edu- 
cation came into Galena a few years before the 
war and commenced the study and practice of 
law. He acquired the reputation of being in the 
way of becoming a successful lawyer. John E. 
Smith the genial, fun loving neighbor of mine 
was a great favorite of Gen. Grant and rose to the 
rank of brigadier-general. William E. Rowley 
who went out from Galena as a captain in the 
12th regiment became afterwards a member of 
Gen. Grant's staff. He had been the clerk of the 
circuit court of Jo Daviess county for a few years 
before the war. 

In looking back over the history of the great 
contest for liberty, how often do we find men of 
low degree coming up from the ranks taking the 
foremost positions before the close of the war, and 
some of the officers of the regular army proving 
to be utter failures. The apparently strong, dis- 
tanced and beaten by the weak things of this 
world. 

When the news came to us of the fall of Vicks- 
burg we had a glorious celebration, large dele- 
gations came in from the country and from Iowa. 
Bands of music, and banners waving filled the 
streets. 

I might as well give a sketch of what I knew of 



200 

the life Gen. Grant in connection with Galena. 
After he passed through Missouri we next hear 
of him dealing telling blows to the rebels at Bel- 
mont, in Missouri, a few miles below Cairo. He 
is next permitted to organize a force to penetrate 
Tennessee. Forts Henry and Donaldson are 
quickly captured by this swift moving little cap- 
tain. Next comes the two days of bloody battle 
of Pittsburg Landing, where by his unflinching 
pertinacity he turned apparent defeat into vic- 
tory. Soon after this a strong systematic effort 
was made to crush him because he did not make 
daily reports to headquarters, at St. Louis and 
Washington; red tape required it, and he had the 
audacity to make a trip of reconnoissance up the 
Tennessee to Nashville to look at the situation 
there, and gave an opinion that it might easily 
be taken if moved on at once. He does this with- 
out consulting Gen. McClelland. He was tem- 
porarily suspended. He became discouraged and 
asked repeatedly to be relieved of his command. 
He would have been crushed had it not been for 
the powerful influence of E. B. Washburne. I 
saw and read all the dispatches that passed be- 
tween him and the department about a month 
after the battle of Pittsburg Landing, in which 
he says at three different times, "I asked to be re- 
lieved." Copies of all these dispatches were sent 
to his friends in Galena to hold as his vindica- 
tion in the future. This silent swift moving man 



201 

well knew that he had clone his duty, and the 
country began to see it too. Four years after he 
left Galena, soon after the fall of Vicksburg he 
visited his old home and what a rousing recep- 
tion w« gave him. The citizens of Galena had 
purchased for him a comfortable brick house on 
the East Side of the river and had furnished it 
with everything to make it agreeable and cosy. 
When he went through the house and saw what 
his kind Galena lady friends had done for his 
comfort and convenience, as he came out of the 
house silent tears rolled down his cheeks. The 
reflection also no doubt effected him in contrast- 
ing his present situation with that of only four 
short years ago. He was then poor and almost 
unknown, and now he was the foremost he^o of 
the war. 

A day was set in which he would receive all 
who wished to see him at his new home. Im- 
mense crowds came to see him, and greet and wel- 
come the hero. As he sat on the lawn in front of 
his house, I came along leading my little daugh- 
ter by the hand. He called her to him and held 
her in his lap for some time. Like all truly great 
men he was passionatlv fond of children. He 
was not the stoical impasable man that many 
thought him to be, but was loving and sympa- 
thetic. He always had a warm affection for his 
old Galena friends, and if he could have chos- 
en would no doubt have ended his days in his 



202 

quiet little home on the hill. In the evening 
there was a reception given in the post office 
building at which General Chetlain standing at 
his side introduced the crowds that called to take 
him by the hand. 

Gen. John C. Smith, who enlisted in the 96th 
regiment and was elected Capt. of his company 
was a Galena carpenter. He made a good record 
during the war attaining the rank of brigadier 
general at its close He was the leading mem- 
ber of the masonic fraternity of Illinois. He was 
elected state treasurer, and now is living in Chi- 
cago. 

George Hicks another Galena boy, a great fav- 
orite of H. H. Houghton as well as of others, en- 
listed in the 96th regiment and waselected captain. 
He was a lawyer and at the close of the war he 
went to Freeportaud opened a law office with 
Gen. Atkins. Someyears later he to went Jamaica 
in the West Inclias, where he was elected superin- 
tendent of schools of that Island. He made a vis- 
it to his old home in 1893. 

Noted Leading Men of Galena. 



Among the many old time Galena merchants 
of that day were B. H. Campbell, J. Russel 
sel Jones, James Rood, J. A. Packard, W. I. Quann 
ami Edward Hempstead, all of whom moved to 
Chicago many years ago, and they all have taken 



203 

a leading part in thebusinessof that city. Among 
the old time lawyers were E. A, Small, J. M. 
Douglas, Thomas Hoyne, Vanhiggins, Thomas 

Druuimoud and E. M. Bradly. All these men of 
mark left Galena m .my years ago an 1 settled in 
Chicago, they have all made a good record in the 
city of their adoption. J. M. Douglas, who went 
there in 1858, in 1856 when the Illinois Cen- 
tral railroad reached Galena, at the reception 
given the officers attho Da Soto House made the 
speech of welcome to them. They were so well 
pleased with the marked ability he displayed in 
this address, that soon after they tendered him 
the appointment of general attorney of the road 
with headquarters at Chicago, and a salary of $10- 
000. He was afterwards elected president of the 
road and served in that capacity some years. 
Another young lawyer who left Galena many 
years ago and settled in Chicago and attained 
prominence there was J. N. Jewett. He married 
a daughter of my old friend Major John R. 
Roundtree, of Platteville, Wisconsin. There are 
many other of lesser note who emigrated to Chi- 
cago years ago whose sons have become famous. 
Mayor George B. Swift, the two Kohlsatt boys, 
and Scott the editor of the Herald. I knew the 
fathers of these boys well. Not only has Chicago 
taken in and absorbed a large numberof the lead- 
ing citizens of Galena, but nearly every town in 
the Great West has or had its sprinkling of old 



204 

time Galenians. Galena may well be called the 
seed ground of the West. In 1848 some of our 
citizens wrote to Ed. Baker, the silver tounged 
orator of Illinois who then lived at Springfield to 
come and settle in Galena, the object of the invi- 
tation was to give him the nomination for Con- 
gress. He came and received the nomination 
and was elected with Gen. Zachary Taylor. He 
made his home at Galena for two or three years 
then went to Oregon and was I think elected a sen- 
ator from that state. At the breaking out of the 
war he resigned his position as senator, making 
an eloquent stirring speech in the senate at the 
time. He served as colonel sometime, and lost 
his life at that disastrous conflict at Balls Bluff. 
He was the most eloquent man I ever heard. As 
a legislator he was not a success. He lacked 
application and business energy. His flight of 
oratory were marvelous, soaring up to the heav- 
ens swaying trie multitudes who listened to him 
as no other public speaker that I ever heard 
could. 

Galena at one time was famous for its many 
talented clergymen. Rev. Arthur Swazey who 
was pastor of the Presbyterian church was a very 
able and affable gentleman. He went to Chicago 
and was the editor-in-chief of the Interior. J. H. 
Vincent a bright eloquent young man was pas- 
tor of the Methodist church for three years. We 
first heard him preach at a conference held in Ga- 



205 

lena. He took his hearers all by storm by his 
kind loving manner, and my good friend Hunt- 
ington had influence enough to get him as pastor 
at Galena the next year. He has since been not- 
ed for his work at Chatauqua. He is now one 
of the most influential of the bishops of the Meth- 
odists. Mr. Magoon another strong eloquent 
logical preacher came to Galena a young man, 
from a seminary of learning at Platteville, Wis- 
consin. He entered upon his first charge as pas- 
tor of the Second Presbyterian church. Preach- 
ing here a few years he was called to take the 
presidency of Grindell college in Iowa. He is 
now I believe at the head of some institution of 
learning in New York. 

Galena in 1856. 



In 1856 Galena had reached the culminating 
point of her prosperity. She owned and controll- 
ed a large share of the steamboat interest on the 
upper Mississippi. Had a daily line of packets 
running to Rock Island another daily line run- 
ning between the rapids, besides holding large 
shares of stock in a daily line of boats plying be- 
tween St. Louis and St. Paul. All their lines 
with the magnificent fleet of boats engaged in the 
St. Paul trade formed such a combination for nav- 
igating the waters of the great river as I fear alas ! 
will never again be seen. Galena at this time 



206 

hada large number of wholesale houses in nearly 
all departments of trade. Nearly all of them mak- 
ing their purchases in the east, and at New 
Orleans, doing little or no business with Chicago, 
some with St. Louis. Her merchants supplied 
the whole northwest including Northern Iowa, 
Minnesota and Western Wisconsin. Nearly all 
the lumber interests of Western and middle Wis- 
consin, including the valley of the Wisconsin ob- 
tained their supplies of goods and money advan- 
ces from Galena. With the extension of the Illi- 
nois Central and other railroads to the Mississip- 
pi and the rapid growth of that young giant city 
on Lake Michigan, her trade gradually fell off 
until she only had the trade lying contiguous to 
her on the north. The country around is well 
settled and she still has a very good retail trade, 
and any one who is fond of wild picturesque 
scenery and is fond of a quiet, peaceful life can 
find a pleasant home still in dear old Galena. 

One other incident connected with the civil 
war. In 1861 or '62 the powder mill at Platte- 
ville sent in 200 kegs or more of powder to be 
shipped to St. Louis. It was stored on the land- 
ing below town in front of my pork heuse. I 
think it was just before the camp Jackson affair, 
when the rebels had control in St. Louis. The 
agent for the powder mills said it was for blasting 
powder in the minesof Southwest Missouri, but we 
knew it could be used for war purposes. Some 



207 

of my neighbors said it ought not to he allowed 
to go on the boat, I said let a dozen of us go down 
and I would tell the captain, whom I knew, that 
it must not go. The boat had already taken 
some on board. It did not go, but was taken 
back to the powder mill. In a few days we heard 
that the powder in the powder house above St. 
Louis belonging to the Lartiins to whom this pow- 
der was consigned, was taken and used by the 
rebels. 

My Sojourn in St. Louis Building Grain Elevators. 

I had closed up most of my business in 1858 and 
when the war broke out I did not feel like enter- 
ing into any business. Did not like speculating 
on the wants of my country in her peril. I de- 
voted the most of my time in different ways 
in trying to help along the interests of the 
boys engaged in the great struggle. I was fifty 
years old, two old and frail for active service in 
the field. In the fall of 1863, some of my St. 
Louis friends urged and requested me as I was in 
no active business to come down and organize a 
company for the construction of a grain elevator 
The boats of the northern line in which I had an 
interest as well as other boats engaged in carrying 
grain to the St. Louis market, felt the want of ele- 
vators to assist in handling the large amount of 
grain that was brought down in sacks. So 1 went 



208 

down in October and had some talk with the 
millers and commission men who all seemed to 
favor the project if the right to put one up on the 
l evee could be obtained. The city had hertofore 
prevented anything being put up on the levee, 
stretching along the river nearly two miles, and 
that it must beheld sacred lor the landing of 
boats. We organized a company of corporators, 
and before going to the legislation I made a con- 
ditional agreement with the Lindell heirs to per- 
chase 200 feet of ground fronting on the river. I 
then went to the legislature which was in session 
at Jefferson City, and with the help of some radi- 
cal friends who were in the majority in the legis- 
ture, I succeeded in getting passed such a charter 
as we required, with a capital stock of $500,000. 
The company was organized and some stock was 
taken. Theadore Lanville and myself each tak- 
ing $20,000. We found it very difficult to get the 
stock taken, as trade in St. Louis was much de- 
pressed owing to the war and then being cut off 
in part from the Southern trade. There was an 
extra session of the legislature called in January 
1864, Chancey O. Filley, the mayor and his en- 
gineer went up to Jefferson secretly and induced 
the legislature to adopt an amendment to our 
charter, giving the mayor the right to accept or 
reject our plans for an elevator on the levee. 
When I showed him our plans, he had one that 
was wholly impracticable. A few days after this, 



209 

as luck would have it one of our directors, who 
was a member of the city council happened to be 
acting mayor one day and signed our plans. A. W. 
Fagan remarking as he signed it, "The pen is 
more powerful than the sword," Thus the little 
mayor's scheme for blackmail was thwarted. I 
was very materially assisted in my efforts to get 
the stock taken by my old New York friends, Dr. 
Vanzant and Judge Krum. I was elected presi- 
dent of the company and I. H. Alexander, secre- 
tary of the board of trade, was elected secre- 
tary and cashier. We found it very difficult to 
get the stock taken, with the exception of some 
$70,000 which I succeeded in having taken out- 
side, the rest was taken by the millers and com- 
mission men. When we had got all taken after 
a thorough canvass of the city it amounted to 
about 260,000. When the building was com- 
pleted having 1,000,000 of bushels capacity it 
cost $500,000. Everything was at its highest 
notch with gold at 150 to 200. When finished 
we borrowed $200,000 issuing bonds for the same. 
Sometime in 1864 I resigned my position as pres- 
ident to give place to A. W, Fagan, who was a 
man of means and influence, and it was thought 
he might by giving his personal attention to the 
affairs of the institution obtain more subscriptions 
to the stock. I stopped at the Lindell hotel dur- 
ing all my stay in St, Louis of over two years. 
When it was finished and in successful operation, 



u 



210 

I returned to Galena in the spring of 1866. I 
had the satisfaction of causing the erection of the 
first grain elevator in St. Louis. I put in over two 
years of hard anxious work receiving but a meag- 
er compensation for the same and but small div- 
idends for some years after, still in the long run 
it paid a fair interest on the money invested, and 
besides I had a new and varied experience in this 
old fogy city. I sold the last stock I had in this 
elevator in the winter of 1893 just in time to avoid 
the depression in all stock of this kind. 

In the fall of 1864 during the McClelland cam- 
paign a large mass meeting of the Democracy 
was held at the court house in the upper hall. I 
attended with a number of other Republicans. 
A number of speeches were made, lauding Mc- 
Clelland and congratulating the Democracy that 
the reign of the Republicans would soon end. 
They were mostly quiet and moderate in their re- 
marks except one, made by a lawyer by the name 
of Lachland, a pronounced out-spoken rebel. He 
made a most violent speech, denouncing the 
union cause in the most bitter terms. Saying 
they w r ould soon be free men and that the reign 
of tyrany under the Republicans would soon be 
over. While he was in the midst of his treason- 
able tirade, some one down below in the rotunda 
called out in a loud voice. "Fort Gratiot!" "Fort 
Gratiot!" He cooled down at once. The next 
morning sure enough he was cooling his seces- 



211 

sion ardour in the cool recesses of the military 
prison. 

Just before the election, the Democracy organ- 
ed an immense demonstration, a street parade, 
with all sorts of banners, transparancies, head 
lights with mottoes about the war being a failure, 
the reign of tyrants is about over etc. When 
they were passing up Washington street in front 
of the Lindell hotel, I saw from where I stood on 
the upper balcony a number of boys in blue, not 
more than forty picking up the stones from the 
newly paved street. They at once commenced 
throwing stones at these offensive transparancies 
banners and head lights. In less than ten min- 
utes, their aim was so true, that all these offen- 
sive mottoes were lying at the feet of their bear- 
ers, and the whole procession was broken, many 
of them taking to their heels. Near where I was 
standing a firey young Southerner sheilding him- 
self behind a pillar drew his pistol and said he would 

shoot the d d rascals across the street. The 

bystanders siezed him and took his pistol away, the 
landlord Parks saying he did not want his hotel 
bombarded. Soon a squad of guards who had 
heard the disturbance rushed into the hotel with 
fixed bayonets ready for a charge. A man stand- 
ing near where they came, near a window, leap- 
ed out through the window crashing the glass, 
and into on open cellar way, on the stone steps 
and broke his neck. This was the only fatal cas- 



212 

ualty growing out of this abortive demonstration 
in St. Louis. This small squad of soldiers be- 
longed to the Jayhawkers of Kansas, who proba- 
bly had, many of them, suffered in the past from 
the incursions of the Missourians into their state a 
few years before. This perhaps ought to excuse 
them for breaking up this political demonstration 
of the Democracy. 

While boarding at the Lindell I met many of 
our prominent men identified with the union 
cause. Here I first met Gen. Sherman. I could 
find no one of my acquaintances who knew him 
so I introduced myself as a Galenian, a townsman 
of Gen. Grant. He received me very cordially 
and entered into conversation with me. His wife 
and little ^irls lived in the Lindell some months 
and almost daily we went up the elevator togeth- 
er, I met Mrs. Grant with Mrs. Sherman one day 
in the parlor of the hotel.. 

Gen. Rosencranz also boarded at this hotel 
while he had the command in St. Louis. He was 
much petted by the rebel sympathisers and was 
often called on by them for a speech on any and 
all occasions to which he always responded mak- 
ing weak wandering speeches, I did not admire 
him at all, and I found that some who had served 
under him did not think much of him as a gen- 
eral. 

Near the last of October in 1863 James B. Eades 
invited me, together with a number of others to 



213 

take a trial trip on the first of the many turreted 
gun boats that he built for the government for the 
defense of the Mississippi, which he built at St. 
Louis. We steamed down the river for some miles. 
The Winnebago the name of this first boat seemed 
to work satisfactorily. This was the first work of 
this kind that Capt. Eades had ever done for the 
government. He and his partner had been doing 
a good share of the work in removing snags from 
the lower Mississippi for a few years back. As is 
well known his next great work was superintend- 
ing the construction of the great bridge across the 
river at St. Louis. A work involving the high- 
est engineering skill, owing to the difficulty in 
securing a foundation for the massive structure. 
Having to go down seventy feet in depth through 
the quick sands, in order to finda safe foundation 
for the heavy granite piers used in the construc- 
tion. His next great work was building the jet- 
ties below New Orleans in which he showed the 
same wonderful engineering talent in overcoming 
what was considered to be unsurmountable ob- 
stacles, making the strong current of the lower 
Mississippi dredge out a deep channel into the 
deep waters of the gulf. As I have before stated 
his father and family lived in early days, two miles 
above Le Clair, Capt. Bersie my old time friend 
was a very firm friend of James B. Eades, lending 
him money from time to time before the war, all 
of which amounting to $17,000, he paid back to 



214 

me as executor of the estate after the close of the 
war. When we were taking this trial trip a fur- 
ious blinding snow storm came up. The snow 
fell to the depth of six or eight inches. At night 
it turned quite cold and the streets of St. 
Louis were covered with frozen snow and ice in 
the morning. On my return to Galena I found 
we had been having mild weather, no snow, 
no frosts. I picked my crop of apples on my 
farm just out of town. I have often noticed that 
sometimes in the latitude of St. Louis, a cold 
wave strikes that section much, earlier than it 
does further north. My theory about it is that a 
cold wave comes down along the base of the Rocky 
Mountains from the north and when it strikes the 
latitude of St. Louis, it is met with westerly 
winds and diverged east along the base of the 
Ozark Mountains. This latitude seems to be sub- 
ject to great extremes of heat and cold. One day 
in mid summer when I was at dinner in the Lin- 
dell House, the windows were all open, I sudden- 
ly felt intense heat, as if the winter furnace and 
all the stoves in the house were in full blast. As 
I went out into the street on my way up to the 
elevator I felt hot blasts striking my face, so hot 
and strong coming from the west that I used my 
handkerchief to shield my face from the siroc^o- 
like blast. This intense hot blast coming from 
the sandy plains of the west kept up for some 
hours. .When the elevator was completed and 



215 

in successful operation I returned to Galena in 
the spring of 1866. Still retaining my position 
as a director until 1867, when I resigned my of- 
fice of director to give place to I. L. Higby, of 
Milwaukee, whom I had induced to take stock to 
the amount of $20,000 in 1865; he came to St, 
Louis in ] 868 and was elected president of the 
board and undertook the supervision of the grain 
elevator. Two or three years later he went to New 
Orleans and built the first elevator in that city. 

The Return From Galena in 1866 to Rock Island. 



Closing my connection with the active opera- 
tions of the St. Louis elevator in the spring of 
1866 I returned to Galena. During my work in 
St. Louis T usually returned home about every 
four or six weeks to visit my family. My old 
home, Galena, since 1856, when the Illinois Cen- 
tral railroad was extended to Dunleith opposite 
Dubuque had been going down. The steamboat 
interest of Galena attempted to retain their com- 
merce on the river by erecting a large warehouse 
at Dunleith for the reception of the freight for the 
Central and the offices for the transaction of their 
business were held therefor some years. Some of 
our merchants opened branch houses there. A 
large commodious hotel called the Argyle house 
was built by parties interested in the railroad. I 



216 

found that many of our business men and others 
had gone to Chicago and other points. Very many 
of my nearest and best friends had left. The out 
look for a further residence in Galena did not look 
very inviting to me, still 1 much disliked to break 
up and sever the many pleasant associations con- 
nected with my residence of over a quarter of a 
century in the dear old town. As I have before 
stated I purchased of Hibbard M. Moore in 1857 
the place that I now occupy on the corner of Fifth 
Avenue and Elm or 30th streets. This interest 
as well as the larger one my wife had in the 
Brook's estate, made me turn my face to Rock 
Island, where I had spent five years of my life in 
the West, and where I had married my good wife. 
We had partially kept up our associations with 
the early settlers of Rock Island by making vis- 
its to my wife's people quite often. The parents of 
my wife had in the meantime passed away as well 
as her brother, George, leaving of the family only 
her brother, William, and herself. 

I sold my farm lying near the Portage for some 
$2,000 less than I paid for it a few years before. 
My house I fortunately found a customer for who 
paid me the price I paid for it years before. My 
other property, the mill interest and the packing 
house, candle and soap factory J had disposed of a 
short time before. Settling up with every one, we 
packed up our household goods and shipped them 
on a steamboat for Rock Island, moving into my 



217 

present home which Capt. Jerry Woods had re- 
cently vacated. My place at this time was one of 
the most beautiful spots in Rock Island. Mr. 
Hibbard Moore from whom I bought it was very 
fond of fruit and flowers and the whole of the two 
acres was covered with fruit trees, vines and 
shrubs which the carelessness of tenants had not 
been able to impair or distroy, Cherry, apple, 
plum and pear trees I found in full bearing. I 
have all through my life been a great ad- 
mirer and lover of nature in all its wonderful 
forms and manifestations. X lonely walk in the 
woods always had more attractions for me than a 
stroll through the crowded thoroughfare of a city. 
The scenes that greeted me at my homestead and 
in and about the wooded hills of Rock Island as 
well as some of the winter scenes that I have often 
witnessed in this northern land of bright beauti- 
ful summer weather and its bitting healthy frosts 
of winter, I have endeavored to depict in the fol- 
lowing faint description. In so far as beauty is 
manifested either in organic or inorganic nature 
it is the same. Both arealike beautiful. Nature 
in all its forms and manifestations whether in the 
bright dew drop of early morn, in the many hued 
tints of the rainbow, in the glorious vision of the 
setting sun shining through fleecy mists or the 
mighty billows of old ocean as they come rolling 
and tumbling to the shore is full of beauty. A 
home scene in early spring. A May morning, a 



218 

soft clear atmosphere, balmy with the break of 
spring. All around is a circle of beauty, a dense 
grove of apple and cherry trees laden with a 
wealth of pure white and rose colored blossoms. 
The busy bees and the glad carol of birds return- 
ing to their accustomed haunts falls upon the ear. 
The scarlet Tanager like a flash of light and fire 
and the Baltimore Oriole flies in and out from the 
flower laden trees. The delicate pale green of the 
just opening leaves of the maple, the* tiny leaves 
of grass just awakening and springing into re- 
newed life from the long winter's sleep. All these 
things are and ought to be sources of enjoyment 
to us, and will be if our hearts are open to receive 
them. Go out into the woods on a bright Octo- 
ber day, a hazy atmosphere, see the ripe leaves, 
many tinted, gently falling to the ground. Look 
up and see what a wealth of splendor clothes the 
maple, ash and linn, and even the homely oak 
puts on a robe of many tints of brown. This is a 
scene, a feast we may all enjoy if we have the time 
and taste to take a ramble over the wooded hills. 
A winter scene a bright clear morning,during the 
night a slight rain or mist has been falling, freez- 
ing as it fell, covering every little leaf, every little 
twig and limb of the trees with a coating of ice. 
The sun comes up, clear and shining. Every little 
point becomes irridescent with rainbow hues. 
The whole earth is a Jewell of gleaming crystals 
hung between two heavens, beautiful alike in sun- 



219 

shine and star light, glorious and beautiful be- 
yond description. Even the dullest soul will ex- 
claim. "Oh how beautiful!" Another scene from 
nature found in central Wisconsin. A small beau- 
tiful lake hemmed in and surrounded by high tow- 
ering cliffs. The rock standing up in splintered 
columns. The steep sides are clothed with a 
growth of pine and other trees. The water is 
clear, cold, pure and as soft as distilled water. It 
is without visible inlet or outlet. A line let 
down on the north shore 175 feet found no bot- 
tom. The top of the quartzite bluffs are 800 feet 
above the level of the Wisconsin river. So pure 
and clear are the waters of this picturesque lake, 
that the steep precipitous rocks and the evergreen 
trees that line its shores are reflected in its cry- 
stal depths. Take a row and go out on a clear 
starlight night, along the north shores, gaze down 
into its clear depths and see the trees, the tall col- 
munar rocks reflected in the bright water. Look 
up and see the starry hosts, Gods crown jewels, 
diamonds of suns and worlds, great and small. 
Then look down in the depths and see a double 
world of reflected beauty. This beautiful lake is 
only six miles in circumference and lies 40 miles 
west of Madison on the line of the Northwestern 
railroad. Ascend the highest point 800. feet above 
the Wisconsin overlooking the valley enclosed by 
steep rocky bluffs that pass out towards the 
river and you see in the distance rounded hills 



220 

and fertile valleys. Go back into the woods and 
you find the wintergreen and huckelberry whose 
usual home is much further north. You also find 
on one of the high points overlooking the lake a 
colossal figure looking much like the huge form 
of a reclining elephant carved out and fashioned 
either by the elements or by a prehistoric race of 
mound builders. Near the highest point just at 
your feet you look down into the pot holes deep 
worn into the hard quartzite rock. How came 
they there? Some ages ago there must have been 
an upheavel here accompanied by intense heats 
converting the soft sand stone into quartzite as 
hard as granite. Before this era an immense 
glazier must have plowed its way through the lake 
depression, extending from the east and terminat- 
ing a in large moraine at the west end of the lake 
some 75 feet high, and one-half mile long. The 
top of this moraine is thickly strewn with granite 
boulders, but on this moraine are found no frag- 
ments of the quartzite rocks, showing clearly that 
the upheaval of this large tract of country lying in 
between the great detour of the Wisconsin and 
the Barraboo rivers occurred after the glazial era. 
This quartzite formation extends up the Barraboo 
for many miles, forming the high cliffs that line 
the shores of this wild little river. 

I will now return to my prosy narative of pass- 
ing current events, after this short wandering 
into the realms of fancy. I may occasionally as 



221 

I proceed in narrating what I have seen and know 
of persons and events on the upper Mississippi 
insert for the sake of variety an account of 
some of the communications I have from time to 
time published in our local papers within the 
last twenty years. 

The growth of Rock Island had been very grad- 
ual for the last twenty years, When the Chicago 
and Rock Island railroad reached here, there was 
quite a perceptible improvement for a few years, 
particularly in the upper part of the city along 
the line of Fifth avenue, a number of fine resi- 
dences were put up below the present 30th street. 
The Boyle place now occupied by J, H. Wilson; 
the two residences built by Ben Harper, now oc- 
cupied by Milo Lee and John Warner; the house 
so long occupied by Thos, Salpaugh; the house 
occupied by J. B. Hawley, who was postmaster at 
Rock Island and for two terms of congress was 
the industrious able representative of this con- 
gressional district, the large beautiful mansion 
built by Lemuel Andrews and at present and for 
many years past occupied by P. L. Cable with its 
handsome well kept grounds. Mr. Cable came to 
the city some forty years ago with only moderate 
means and was for a white engaged in banking 
with P. L. Mitchell. He afterwards became in- 
terested in the coal mines at coal valley, buying 
out Ben Harper, Homer Hakes, S, S. Guyer and 
others who had been operating thymines for some 



222 

time with varying success. Mr. Cable was fort- 
unate in taking hold of these mines at this time, 
as the river steamboats and railroads had just be- 
gun to find out that coal was less expensive than 
wood as fuel. P. L. Cable was a very shrewd far 
seeing business man, and soon he had an almost 
exclusive monopoly of the coal trade for this 
whole region, This being the most northern out- 
crop of coal in the state, and the mining being 
almost surface mining, could be more easily and 
cheaply mined than places farther south where 
the first strata of coal had to be raised two to five 
hundred feet. He had a very wise arrangement 
with his miners (as I have before stated) in which 
he made them his partners, giving them one-third 
of the output and thus preventing any strikes. 
He after a while obtained control of the Peoria 
& Rock Fsland railroad which passed through the 
mines at coal valley. He also, in his charter of 
the road had a provision by which he could trans- 
port his coal, fifty cents less price on the ton, 
which gave him practically the control of all the 
mines in that section owned by other parties. As 
the business and the manufai/toriesof the country 
increased the demand for the Rock Island coal 
assumed large proportions. One winter some 
fifteen years ago when there was a strike in the 
Hampton mines, Mr. Cable told me he was ship- 
ping a large number of cars each day, and was 
making $400 each day for about one month. He 



223 

usually fixed his price in the fall and did not vary 
from it, charging rich and poor alike, with- 
out regard to the quantity used. His mines at 
coal valley becoming exhaused he bought mines in 
Mercer county and built a good substantial rail- 
road to them, and continued to operate them suc- 
cessfully until his death. He amassed a large fort- 
une by following the one thing exclusively. He 
always held more or less stock in the Chicago and 
Rock Island railroad from which he received large 
dividends for many years. 

Some few manufactories had been established. 
I have often thought if our people had been pos- 
sessed of some of the energy and foresight that our 
Moline neighbors have displayed, Rock Island 
might have become a great manufacturing center 
instead of Moline. A better water power with 
more fall than at Moline might have been made 
at the Rocky point at the Barnes or Gorden place. 
If we only had a genius like David B. Sears it 
might have been done. Unfortunately all or 
nearly all of our manufacturing enterprises have 
proven abortive. Probably more from want of 
unity and concerted action than anything else. 
Quite a number have been started, but the bulk 
of them have ended in failure. The lumber inter- 
est is almost the only one that proved successful. 
When I came here twenty-eight years ago, Wey- 
erhauserand Denckman were comparitively poor 
men. I think Mr. Weyerhauser was running a 



224 

small saw mill at Coal Valley. Soon after, he and 
his brother-in-law started a small saw mill in the 
lower part of the city, they next took an interest 
in the old Barnes mill operated by Gray, Ana- 
wait & Co., and then in the mill next below in 
which J. H. Wilson and J. S. Keator had an in- 
terest, now the/have all three of these besides one 
in Davenport. Fred Weyerhauser, who owns an 
immense amount of pine lands in Wisconsin and 
Minnesota and any number of saw mills along 
the Mississippi and Chippewa rivers is recogniz- 
ed as the great lumber king of the northwest. 
He is a man of indomitable energy, far seeing in 
his views. There seems to be no bounds to his 
ambition and daring. I think he has large tracts 
of pine lands in Canada. Soon we shall hear of 
his trying to absorb the pine lands and lumber 
trade of the Pacific coast. He is a genial man of 
pleasant and agreeable manners, and we regret 
that he has left our old fogy town for St, Paul as 
being nearer the center of his immense operations. 
The plow manufactory started in the lower 
part of the city by Charles Buford many years 
ago and after his death carried on by his sons 
done a very large prosperous business for many 
years until quite recently when the concern be- 
came somewhat embarrassed. A new company 
was organized and is now doing a successful busi- 
ness. Among the many merchants who were 
doing a large business twenty-five year ago were 



225 

Bay ley & Boyle; McAlister & Steele. Mr. Bay ley 
was mayor of the city and under his administra- 
tion the city took charge and built the bridges 
over Rock River at Milan, and have been collect- 
ing tolls on the same for over thirty years. Ex- 
pending large sums from time to time in building 
and keeping the bridges in repair. About twenty 
years ago $22,000 was expended in building 
a macadam road from Rock Island to Rock 
river. It is very doubtful whether the large out- 
lay made at different times has been of a corres- 
ponding benefit to the city. The population of 
the city in 1867 was a little less than 7,000, by 
actual ennumeration although we had been claim- 
ing 10,000 to 12,000. The ferry established be- 
tween Rock Island and Davenport by old man 
Wilson, and since run by his heirs and successors 
was a good paying institution and has always 
been well kept up under the judicious manage- 
ment of late years by Capt. T. J. Robinson. 

In 1867 the Moline and Rock Island horse rail- 
way company was organized, Chas Atkinson of 
Moline obtained the charter. The incorporators 
were Chas. Atkinson, S. W. McMaster, Ben Har- 
per, T. J. Robinson and Henry Dast. The dir- 
ectors chosen by the. stockholders were the same 
parties with the exception of Chas. Atkinson, who 
declined to serve, and J. S. Keator was chosen in 
his place. The contract was let to Mr. Hathaway 
of St. Louis. He was to finish the road and stock 

15 



226 

it complete ready for running for $58,000. He 
taking $28,000 of the stock. The contract was 
a very favorable one for the contractor and proba- 
bly for two of our directors who no doubt were in- 
terested with him as they bought his stock soon 
after the completion of the road. Among the 
principal stockholders were John Deere, J. S. 
Keator, Win. E. Brooks, S. W. McMaster, Ross 
Mills and Alanson Sennett, T, J. Robinson and 
Ben Harper. The road was very prosperous for 
a number of years, paying yearly dividends of 
ten to fifteen per cent. Some few years after the 
organization of the road, John Warren bought out 
Ben Harper's stock in the road amounting to $10- 
000, and he was elected president and continued 
to act in that capacity for some years. The road 
from some cause, perhaps because so much of the 
business between the three cities was done by 
Telephone, commenced . running down. Very 
small dividends were paid and the road needed 
new cars and general repairs, and had no means 
to do it unless the stockholders were assessed. In 
this dilemma the Holmes syndicate from Chicago 
came here and bought out all the horse railroad 
interests in the three cities, paying par for all the 
stock in the Moline and Rock Island. The stock 
had so run down in value that there was no de- 
mand for it, and some of the holders offered to 
sell at 75 cents on the dollar without getting any 
bidders. This new company who seemed to have 



227 

unlimited means put on new cars at once and put 
the road in thorough repair. In the second year 
of their management they put on electric cars on 
all their lines except between Rock Island and 
Davenport across the government bridge. This 
connection was made during the year of 1894. 
With their immense power house in Rock Island 
they run the whole system in the three cities as 
well as the line to Black Hawk's Tower. The 
many improvements this company have made has 
been of great advantage to Rock Island and has 
done more to put new life into the old sleepy town 
than any other cause. They have spent large 
sums in paving the streets along their lines. Our 
very progressive city dads under our present sys- 
tem of making all street and sewer improvements 
by special tax or assessment, (as a rule they have 
little or no property to assess) seem to take pains 
to pass ordinances for paving streets where this 
company has lines, trying as hard as they can to 
kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. And 
now at this writing when we are struggling in 
the throes of a financial crisis, when hundreds of 
poor men who have in the last few years bought 
lots and erected little homes for themselves, upon 
which they still owe money to the.loan associations. 
are called upon by the unwise legislation of 
our city council to pay for paving, sewer and side- 
walk assessments. Hardly a meeting ofthecoun- 
cil is held but there is some ordinance introduced 



228 

to add still more to the burden of poor tax payers. 
Id this time of such dire distress that prevails 
among poor and destitute of our city, all industry 
isparalyzed. It is now time that our city council 
should cease their effort to add still farther to our 
burthens. But alas! what else can we expect from 
a city infested and corrupted with some sixty or 
seventy saloons and some ten to twelve wholesale 
liquor houses with their baleful influence, the voters 
of the city controlling and putting in power men of 
their own stripe. Both parties pander more or 
less to the foreign vote. It is seldom that any 
American finds a seat in our city council. He 
must be a German or an Irishmen to be elect- 
ed. Notwithstanding the large additions that 
have been made to the taxable property of the 
city in the last two years in the many new houses 
erected, and that tax payers pay for all street and 
other improvements by special taxation, our tax 
rate for all purposes is 8 per cent. This on a 
small house of $1,000 valued at one-third would 
amount to $26.66. A heavy tax for a poor man 
with a large family to support, to pay. 

There are a number of families of this kind in 
our city who not only will be obliged to pay this 
tax, but to pay in addition additional assessments 
for sewers, sidewalks and paving. Some of these 
men who impose these heavy burthens upon the 
poor will say, "if they can't pay let them get out 
and give place to others." This seems to be the 



229 

spirit animating the average aldermen of the day. 
The large amount spent by the government on 
the Island improvements and other things con- 
nected there with has added materially to the pros- 
perity of Rock island as well as to that of our sis- 
ter cities of Davenport and Moline, and a con- 
densed account of the history of the Island from 
its first purchase by the United States from the 
Indians should have a place in this narative of 
past events; much of this account is taken from 
Col. Flaglers history of Rock Island Arsenal, pub- 
lished in 1878. The United States accquired the 
title to the Island in 1804. A treaty was made 
with the Sac and Fox Indians by Gen. W. Henry 
Harrison at St. Louis. From this time until 1814, 
nothing was said or done, or much known about 
this far away Western point. In that year before 
the close of the war of 1812, Lieut. Campbell left 
St. Louis with a boat and two loaded barges for 
Prairie Du Chien with a small force of men some 
110 in all, intending to go there and fortify that 
point against the incursions of the British and 
Indians. They made their way up the river with- 
out much difficulty until they reached Camp- 
bell's Island on the upper rapids, some eight 
miles above Rock Island. They saw swarms of 
Indians all along the Illinois shore, but were not 
molested until one of the barges got aground 
when the Indians attacked the boat in strong 
force killing a number of the men. The rangers, 



230 

a part of the force under Capt,. Rogers who were 
on the other boat came to the rescue, opening fire 
upon the Indians with a six pound cannon. 
These rangers were mostly French men„and with 
their brave captain showed great daring in com- 
ing to the rescue of their comrades. They suc- 
ceeded in driving the savages away. It was a 
very sanguinary contest, there were thirty-six 
killed and wounded in the battle. It was in 
this contest that an old colored man who worked 
around my house in Galena, who we called Com- 
modore Perry, took a part. It was said that he 
with a billit of wood, whenever the Indians took 
hold of the si les of the b)at, wauld strike their 
hands and swearing at them, telling them to keep 
off the boat, Poor old honest, faithful Commo- 
dore carried a reminisence of the fierce fight by a 
bullet wound in his leg, making him lame until 
his death some 35 years ago. The shattered 
remnant male their way back to St. L^uis after 
much suffering. In the fall of the same year a 
much larger force, some 350 men and officers un- 
der the command of Capt. Zaehary Taylor left 
St. Louis to punish the Indians for their treach- 
ery. It was the intention of the troops to go up 
Rock river to the Indian village and shell them 
and drive them out, but they found the river to 
low for them. They then came up the river to the 
Willow Islands, just below Davenport nearly op- 
posite the lower saw mills of Rock Island. While 



231 

there they were attacked by the combined forces 
of the British and Indians, firing upon the boats 
with cannon and small arms. Capt. Rector open- 
ed on them with his artilery. Our troops finding 
that the enemy was too strong for them, one of 
their shots passing through Luiet. Hempstead's 
boat, commenced drifting down stream, followed 
by the enemy some two or three miles, who were 
9,000 strong, and were armed with artilery. Capt. 
Taylor after a consultation with his officers 
thought it best to retreat down the river. This 
ended the Indian war at Rock Island for the pres- 
ent. A treaty of peace was signed at Portage de 
Sioux between the Indians and the United States. 
In September 1815 Col. Nichols left St. Louis 
with a regiment of troops to come to Rock Island 
and establish a fort. He came only as far as 
tlie mouth of the Des Moines and went into camp, 
owing to the early setting in of the winter. In 
the spring of 1816 Gen. Thomas A. Smith in com- 
mand, came up to establish the fort, and selected 
the rocky point on the west end of the island as 
a site for a fort. The point of the Island at this 
time was covered with a heavy growth of timber, 
oak, ash and linn, from which was constructed a 
strong abattes for defense. Gen. Smith continued 
on up the river with a portion of his force to es- 
tablish forts at Prairie Du Chein, (Fort Crawford,) 
and on the upper river at the confluence of the 
Minnesota and Mississippi rivers, (Fort Snelling), 



232 

named in honor of the old army officer Col. Snelling. 
The eighth infantry was left in command of Col. 
Lawrence, to construct the fort called Armstrong, 
in honor of the general of that name. The fort 
was 400 feet square, the lower part was construct- 
ed of stone. The upper part of hewn timber, all 
the materials were obtained on the island. Con- 
venient officer's quarters and barracks were con- 
structed. A beautiful tall flag staff was erected 
a few years after. 

From this time until after the close of the Black 
Hawk war in 1832 a regiment or more of troops 
was kept on the island, and various attempts were 
made to get possession of the island by squatters 
from Rock Island and Moline, fortunately with- 
out success. No soldiers were kept on the island 
until the breaking out of the Civil war. A man 
by the name of Baxter had charge for a few yeais, 
after this I. B. Danforth was in charge for some- 
time. In the winter of 1862 and 63, a large num- 
ber of rebel prisoners were sent here, some 13,000 
in all. It taxed the energies of this whole section 
of country to provide them with winter quarters 
and supplies for this large accession suddenly . 
thrown upon us. Immense barracks were hasti- 
ly constructed of rough lumber, and made as com- 
fortable as possible for the Southern prisoners. 
That they must have suffered a good deal was 
inevitable, coming here in this cold winter weath- 
from a much warmer climate. The mortality 



233 

was very heavy as any one can see who visits the 
graveyard on the island where they were buried. 
Some 1300 or 10 per cent, of the whole number 
lie buried there in nameless graves. But they 
were treated with kindness, and had enough to 
eat, probably more and better than they had most 
of the time in the rebel service. Some of our peo- 
ple who perhaps sympathized with their cause 
were severely criticised because they would occa- 
sionally send them some little comforts in the 
way of refreshments etc. But this was all right, 
they could do no less, and were to be commended, 
not for sympathizing with the rebel cause, but 
for helping brothers in their need. 

There was fomerly a small cave in the extreme 
west end of the rocky point of the island. The 
Indians had a tradition that it was the abode of 
a good spirit, who visited the cave in the shape 
of a large white bird. Black Hawk objected very 
strongly to the erection of the fort at this point. 
He said it would drive this good spirit away and 
bring misfortune to his people. Some twenty 
years ago a young man came here, who was the 
son of Tom Rosington, a genial, hard drinking 
Irishman. He married Mary Miller, a daughter, 
of John S. Miller, my old partner. This young 
man who had been engaged on some western 
newspaper, and was a graceful writer, while here, 
sent a communication to the Argus about this 
wonderful cave, describing it as extending some 



234 

thousands of feet under the island, with many 
side cavesand all filled with beautiful stalactiesof 
the purest white, with figures and statutes of the 
animal gods of a prehistoric race, with hieroglific 
inscriptions, one of which he made out to deici- 
pher. It said, "who so enters here and looks on 
me, shall aever leave." It was written in glow- 
ing realistic language, something like the cele- 
brated Moon Hoax, written by Hale years ago. 
Some of the people of Rock Island who had never 
noticed the cave bejeived it, The Reverend Dr. 
Patterson, of Chicago, wrote to a friend about it 
in Rock Island saying he would come over and 
see this wonderful cave if it was true that it was 
here. It was very cleverly written and many who 
were not familiar with the situation might well 
be led to believe it a true story. We often nowa- 
days, read accounts of wonderful caves found in 
many out of the way places in the west that pro- 
bably exist only in the imagination of the news- 
paper correspondents. It requires a great deal 
of fiction and padding in these days of Mammoth 
newspapers of 30 to 40 pages. 

To return to the history of the Island improve- 
ment. The first building erected on the island for 
military purposes was the one that stands on the 
west end of the island. The walls are a yellow sand 
stone and came from the Leclair quarries. This 
building was erected under the superinten- 
dence' of Major Kingsbury in 1864. Maj. J. T. 



235 

Rodman succeeded Major Kingsbury m 1865. 
The act authorizing the construction of the arsenal 
was passed in 1862. This act and much of the 
later legislation for improvements on the island 
was due largely to the influence of my old friend 
E. B. Washburne, He represented this congres- 
sional district for sometime and always took a 
deep interest in building up a great arsenal on the 
island, some years ago he wrote me a long letter 
giving in detail the various acts of congress in re- 
lation to this arsenal in which betook a promi- 
nent part. This letter was published intheDaven- 
port Gazette at the time, but I have mislaid it. In 
Col. Flaglers history of the Rock Island arsenal, 
Mr. Washburn's name is not mentioned at all, 
but this is easily explained. The colonel' gives 
the acts of congress as they were passed not know- 
ing perhaps who originated them. The very wise 
judicious plans for the many massive stone build- 
ings and the beautiful drives and avenues that are 
found surrounding and intersecting the island in 
every direction were planned and laid out by the 
government officers. A large share of this work 
was no doubt done under the direction of 
General Rodman under whose direction, these 
many beautiful drives were made and keptin such 
fine order for many years and the most of the 
buildings were constructed. The massive stone 
wing dam forming the water power of Molineand 
also the power to run the machinery on the is- 



236 

land was constructed under his superintendence 
The government has spent vast suras in making 
the various improvements on the island, for the 
bridges connecting the three cities with the same, 
as well as for improving the rapids in this neigh- 
borhood for making wing dams to divert a strong- 
er force of water to the slough for keeping open 
the channel above Moline, digging and deepen- 
ing the same. This channel since the wing clams 
have been built filled up very rapidly with the 
silt of the river. The sum total expended by the 
government on the island and surroundings un- 
der Gen. Rodmans administration up to 1876, 
amounted to $5,833,000. The amountspent since 
that date must amount to at least another million 
or more. The appropriations for the last fifteen 
years have ranged all the way from $75,000 to 
$100,000 each year. Quite a large amount of this 
vast sum has been paid out for labor, which has 
been a very great help to the growth of the three 
cities. At this writing in the winter of 1894, 400 
skilled artisans are employed in the various 
shops. The Island makes a beautiful park with 
its delightful drives passing along the well kept 
avenues and through shady groves. It is free 
and open to all well behaved persons, who by ap- 
plication to the commandant can get passes. Un- 
der Gen. Rodman's administration, the old sett- 
lers association were allowed to hold their an- 
nual fall gatherings on the island. The people 



237 

of the three cities assembled on the 30th of May, 
of each year to strew flowers on the soldiers 
graves who are buried there. The old settlers as- 
sociation was organized in 1865. All persons and 
their children who settled in the county before 
1846 were admitted as members upon signing 
the constitution and by-laws and paying a small 
annual fee. At first for some years they met in 
the winter and had a supper, another out door 
meeting was held in early October, as a basket pic- 
nic. Of late years the winter meeting has been 
abandoned, and only the fall picnic is held. Of the 
old pioneers of 1836, but a very few are left. 

In Rock Island, David Hawes, Frazier Wilson, 
George Mexter and myself still survive. In Mo- 
line, Michael Hartzell, Ben Goble and Daniel 
Beal. Scattered about the county are a few others, 
Mrs. Weatherhead, whose name was Kate McNeal 
a sister to Henry McNeal, James Glenn and per- 
haps three or four others who live in the lower 
part of the county. 

In 1870 my old friend B. H. Campbell, United 
States marshall for the northern district of [lli- 
nois appointed me one of his deputies to take the 
census of the eastern part of Rock Island county. 
This was the only public office that I ever held 
to which any pay was attached. I found it a very 
arduous undertaking and somewhat uncomfort- 
able, riding over the long stretches in the upper 
part of the county, during the intense heat of that 



238 

summer. In going from house to house I met 
many of the old settlers who had been customers 
and friends of mine, during the time I lived in 
Rock Island from 1836 to 1841. Meeting these 
old time friends and often staying with them two 
or three days while engaged in my work in the 
neighborhood, made it very pleasant, discussing 
the troubles and trials ol pioneer life. This occu- 
pied my time from the middle of June until the 1st 
of October. My compensation for this work was 
about $700, I paying my own expenses out of this 
amount. This was the only money I ever receiv- 
ed from Unde Sam, except a small amount paid 
me for taking a census of persons liable to be 
drafted in 1863 in the neighborhood of Galena. 
In this work I had some amusing experiences 
and some that might have ended tragically 
among the foreign population. Frequently in 
going over the hills I would see some of the men 
dodging behing the fences, running and hiding, 
trying to avoid being listed, as they seemed to 
to know what I was after. This dodging was 
mostly among the Irish population. In one or 
two instances in the town I was met by the wom- 
an of the house, brandishing a big butcher knife. 
In one neighborhood where they were very be- 
ligerent, I obtained thenames of all those subject 
to draft, of a friend of mine, an Irishman, who 
knew them all. Afterwards many of these same 
men were induced by Win. Ryan to enlist in an 



239 

Irish company that he organized in Galena and 
the neighborhood. They made good soldiers 
and some of them when they came home said they 
would vote on the same side thut they fought. 

During this same year befoie I started out tak- 
ing the census, I induced Wm. E. Brooks and 
Mrs. Robins to consent to open 38th street, 80 feet 
in width and also to open 7th avenue from the 
west line of the Robins tract to the east line of the 
Brooks farm, to open this avenue 100 feet wide. 
Some of the principal men of Rock Island agree- 
ing that they would use their influence to have 
this avenue opened out the same width, down as 
far west as 23d street. This might have been 
done at that time without any difficulty as nearly 
all the territory along the line was vacant and 
owned mostly in large tracts. This implied 
promise was never kept, nor any attempt made 
to keep it. The next tract east of the Brooks 
farm belonged to Browning & Alday. They 
agreed to open it through their ground at the 
same width. The next tract extending east as far 
as the short double curve in the street car tract 
near the site of the foundry, I had andermy con- 
trol, as the agent of Daniel A. Barrows of Galena. 
I had this all surveyed and dedicated before the 
county supervisors court. There was some in- 
formality in these proceedings of which Alday 
and the parties owning the ground in the south 
side of the avenue took advantage and cut 



240 

the avenue down to 70 feet. The Brooks 
farm at this time was included in the township 
of Moline. The trustees of that township put 
$300 into my hands to open up this new connec- 
tion between the two cities. With this amount 
some grading was done and some three tempor- 
ary bridges were built and the road was made 
passable, being most of the way over favorable 
ground. Two or three years later there was a contest 
between Rock Island and Moline for the posses- 
sion of that part of Moline township occupied 
by the Brooks farm, and the Sinnett & Barnes 
property. Unfortunately for the owners of this 
property Rock Island won the game, and the 
fault rested largely with a majority of the owners 
of these large tracts who signed the petition with 
these large holdings, to be annexed to Rock Island. 
It was a most unjust steal and the people of Mo- 
line felt that they had been badly used. This 
annexation to Rock Island was a great detriment 
to the owners of this property. It would have 
all been built over ten to fifteen years ago, had 
it remained where it justly belonged. For the 
want of room Moline has been obliged to extend 
her borders on the bluff. The feeling of bitter- 
ness engendered by this steal has been an injury 
to the growth of both cities and possibly long ere 
this would have been united under one corpora- 
tion. The owners of this property are reaping 
their reward for their short sightedness in going 



241 

where they did not belong by having the first 
special tax imposed on them for the construction 
of a sewer down the line of 38th street, and after 
having paid taxes for many long years for the 
improvement of streets, for water and light, with- 
out having received any benefit therefrom, now 
under this new law of special taxation and assess- 
ment they are obliged to make all these them- 
selves. 



Steamers on the Upper Mississippi in Olden Times 
up to 1874. 



A trip to the cool north in the midsummer on 
any of the many fine <steam boats that were run- 
ning on the upper Mississippi in 1874 was always 
a perpetual feast to me. The varied scenery that 
meets one all along the line of thegreat river; the 
bold rocky headlands that jut out from the shore; 
the deep wooded ravines stretching back into the 
country as far as the eye can reach; the steep hill 
sides clothed with a dense growth of foliage, with 
here and there only small level plats of ground 
along the shore, only large enough for a house 
and barn and small garden spot. The larger 
part of the shores on both sides of the river are so 
filled up with high rocky cliffs that the wild pic- 
turesque scenery now found along the banks of 
the river must remain the same for ages, unspoil- 



242 

ed by the hand of man, where tourists from the 
South and other parts of the valley, can go during 
the hot summer months, if they wish to find quiet,, 
rest and recreation not be found in the rapid rail- 
ways that now wind their sinuous way along both 
sides of the river from Rock Island to St. Paul. 
In these pleasant summer excursions we always 
meet with many agreeable people and sometimes 
acquaintances are formed that last a lifetime. 
Seated out on the guards gazing at the ever vary- 
ing scenery or engaging in conversation with 
some chance acquaintance, the time glides swiftly 
and pleasantly along, and at the end of the voy- 
age we part with regret from the many agreeable 
friends we have met and with whom we have 
held communion, during the swift passing week. 
I know r of no trip, and I have taken many during 
my long life, by stage, by rail and boat, that is 
more delightful and restful to both body and 
mind than the old trips we used to take on the 
many fine boats that once ploughed the waters of 
this river. Everything was done by the obliging 
commanders of the boats for the comfort and en- 
joyment of their passengers. In the evening 
after sight seeing of the day was over and the 
long dining tables were set one side, the color- 
ed waiters, who almost alw T ays had three or more 
good musicians among them, would give us a 
rich musical treat. If there were many young 
people on board, the evening's entertainment 



243 

would usually end in a dance in which some of 
us older ones would participate. This exercise 
would alwa}'s close promptly at 10 o'clock. Will 
this noble river ever again bear upon its bosom 
another such fleet of pleasant excursion boats, 
carrying their thousands of passengers, who were 
satisfied to take life leisurly and enjoy it as they 
passed along? Should this happy day ever come 
our fast progressive people would say, I suppose, 
that we were lapsing into barbarism, evolving 
backwards. 



Harvest Hands Take Possession of a Steamboat. 



Soon after the close of the war there were a 
great number of idle men in the border slave 
states, who were impoverished by the war and find- 
ing nothing to do at home, commenced drifting 
north, about the middle of June, to find work 
in the haying and harvest fields of the north, 
commencing first in Southern Illinois and Wis- 
consin. Working their way up the river to Iowa 
and Minnesota. Large and increasing numbers 
continued to come from year to year, until most 
of the boats going north when the harvest fields 
of Iowa and Minnesota were ready were often 
packed full. Of course in such crowds there would 
be found many rough lawless characters. In 
about 1875 a boat commanded on her way up by 
Capt. John Rhodes passed by here, up the river, 



.244 

without stopping here or at Davenport. It was 
noticed that the boat was crowded with this class 
of passengers and there seemed to be some disturb- 
ance on board. The conclusion was drawn that 
these men had possession of the boat. In some- 
way the news was sent down here while the boat 
was on its way over the rapids that help was 
needed when the boat should reach Clinton. We 
had a military organization here, and under the 
command of Major James Beardsley, some forty 
or fifty armed men were shipped on a flat car on 
their way to Clinton to the rescue of the beleagur- 
ed boat. They arrived there in time and took 
possession of the boat. It seems these men first took 
possession of the bar and treated all who joined 
them in the lawless work. Their next outrage 
was to commence abusing and beating the color- 
ed waiters and deck hands, throwing a number 
of them overboard, and three or four were drown- 
ed. They entered the pilot house and with pistols 
leveled at the pilots prevented them from landing. 
When they first commenced taking possession of 
the bar, it is probable, the captain by taking a res- 
olute stand might have checked them and pre- 
vented the mutiny. They were brought back to 
the wharf at Rock Island and were marched 
down the gang plank, guarded on each side by 
our soldier boys. A bright mulatto, who had 
managed to escape their clutches by keeping out 
of the way stood at the end of the gang plank and 



•245 

identified those that he knew were in the riot. 
He would say, "dat man in de tuss." And dat 
man was arrested with some twenty others and 
marched off to jail. The others were allowed to 
proceed on their voyage up the river. When 
their trial came off they employed M. Y.Johnson, 
of Galena, to defend them. It was found very 
difficult to bring proof enough against any one 
to insure a conviction, and they were all releas- 
ed. No attempt of the kind has beer, made since 
by these harvesters. 



The Rockford, Rock Island and St. Paul Railroad, 
its Origin and Progress. 



About 1871 L. Abbott, of Cordova, and some 
of his neighbors were sitting around the stove 
one winter evening discussing the hard times and 
the little they could find to do in the quaint dull 
old town. Abbott says let us build a railroad, I 
have twenty-five cents in my pocket as a cash 
capital on which to commence operations. This 
quiet talk between these few men led to the build- 
ing a railroad from Barstow to St. Louis by the 
way of Rock Island. A company was organized 
and a charter obtained. Some parties who had 
some capital, enough to set the project in motion, 
took hold with Abbott. r f^hey leased a large tract 
of coal lands on the line of the road in Rock 
Island and Henry counties. Had maps and 



240 

drawings made of the route showing grades and 
the towns lying along the route, all gotten up in 
a very atttactive form, accompanied with a glow- 
ing description of the beautiful productive coun- 
try through which the projected road was to pass. 
A shrewd agent was employed to go to Europe 
and despose of the bonds issued for the construc- 
tion of the road. He succeeded in making an 
agreement with some capitalists of Holland to 
take the bonds of the road to the amount of $20- 
000 for each mile built and equipped. Subscrip- 
tions to the stock were solicited from towns along 
the line of the road, and quite a large amount of 
available means were obtained by selling the 
bonds issued by these towns and counties, 
enough to start the road on its legs. Work was 
commenced on the eastern end. The coal banks 
were opened, which was easily done, as the out- 
crop was near the surface and only required a 
little stripping. The right of way was purchased 
at normal prices and generally without the costs 
of arbitration until the canvassers reached Mo- 
line and Rock Island. Here wherever the right 
of way passed through private property the ap- 
praisers gave the owners a fair price for the same. 
They obtained the right of way on some of the 
streets in Moline and Rock Island and from Rock 
Island used the track of the Peoria, under a run- 
ning arrangement, to Coal Valley. The dutch 
capitalists advancing money on the bonds as the 



247 

work progressed until the road reached East St. 
Louis. It was a splendid successful scheme, if 
#ny enterprise founded on gas and fraud can be 
called successful. Some of the subcontractors 
and the many men employed to puff and work 
up the credit of the road may have made some- 
thing. It was run a short time by the original 
projectors, and then the deceived bondholders 
sent over an agent to see after the delayed inter- 
est due on the bonds. This agent of the bond- 
holders took charge of the road. He invited some 
one or two hundred of the business men of the 
three cities to take a trip to St. Louis. The St. 
Louis people treated us right royally, furnishing 
us carriages to visit the principal places of inter- 
est in the city. Within a year or so after the road 
was leased to R. R. Cable and others under the 
direction and control of Ransom R. Cable. This 
I believe was aboutthe first railroading Mr. Cable 
had done. From this time on he became one of 
the foremost and most successful railroad men in 
the west, as president of the C. I. & P., railroad. 
The poor deceived bondholders were compelled 
finally to sell the road which cost them ten million 
of dollars, for one and a half millions. The Bur- 
lington & Q.uincy being the purchaser, and giv- 
ing that road since the completion of the North- 
ern to St. Paul a continuous line from St. Louis 
to St. Paul. 



248 
Librarys ani Public Schools in Rook Island. 



The first library established in Rock Island 
was called the Rock Island City Library and 
Reading Room. It was kept up by volunary 
subscription, and it was organized in 1855. The 
association occupied rooms in Mitchell & Lynd's 
block at first, and later in Ben Harper's block, the 
present site of Harper's opera house. In 1872 the 
present public library was organized under the 
state law, authorizing cities and towns to open 
public libraries, and to levy a tax for their sup- 
port, The books and other property belonging 
to the old library were turned over to the new in- 
stitution. There were 2,000 volumns in all, turned 
over. Chicago was the first city to establish a 
free library and Moline and Rock Island were 
the next in the state. Rooms were secured in the 
postoffice block. The library has continued to 
occupy the same locality up to the present time, 
1894. This whole block was rebuilt some two 
years ago and the library rooms were much en- 
larged and fitted up with new cases and fixtures 
in elegant style. There has been added from 
time to time usually as often as three or four times 
each year, the best new current literature of the 
day. The city council has generally appropriated 
from $2,500 to $3,500 each year. Of late years 
the public schools have been allowed to draw 
books on the order of the teachers for books con- 



241) 

nected with the studies for all grades from the 
4th to the 12th. The teachers are much in favor 
of this late innovation and think it is a great help 
to the pupils in their studies. All the leading- 
newspapers of the west are found on file in the 
library. Some fifteen to twenty of the best month- 
ly magazines are taken, of these, two copies of the 
most popular are taken, one copy of which is for 
distribution to patrons under the supervision of 
the librarian. Miss Ellen Gale, the scholarly ac- 
complished librarian had charge of the old li- 
brary for three or four years before it was merged 
into the new one. She has been the chief librar- 
ian in charge for all these years up to this date, 
1894. She is thoroughly posted in all her duties 
and is a competent judge of books, with the large 
knowledge she has of the best books, the selection 
is and has been mostly left to her. The library 
board consists of nine directors. The directors in 
1877, were S. W. McMaster, president, E. D. 
Sweeney, secretary, Alexander Steel, C. VV. O'Xeil, 
Henry Curtis^ W. H. Gest, Calvin Truesdale, C. 
Spedell and H. C. Connelly. H. C. Connelly, D. 
C. Truesdale, Henry Curtis. E. D. Sweeney, W. H. 
Gest and S. W. McMaster have served on the 
board many years both before and after the above, 
date. 

The first systematic effort made to establish a 
comprehensive system of graded schools in Rock 
Island was largely due to the efforts of George Mix- 



250 

ter as I have stated elsewhere. He drafted a char- 
ter somewhat similar in its provisions to that of 
the school system prevailing in Massachusetts, 
with many favorable provisions, giving the trus- 
tees full power to levy taxes, employ teachers and 
build school houses. The limit of taxation un- 
der the state law is two per cent of the assessed 
valuation. The provisions of the charter are unus- 
ually favorable. The city council fortunately 
has no control whatever over the board of trus- 
tees. Thus far the election of trustees has been 
kept clear from political influence. The trustees 
have generally been selected for their fitness with- 
out regard to their political affiliations, with the 
exception of the election in 1893, when unfortu- 
nately the bigoted sectarianism of a few of our peo- 
ple raised the religous question as between Cath- 
olics and Protestants. A most unwise and fool- 
ish thing to do, for the reason that a large num- 
ber of Catholic children attend our public schools, 
and it is very important for the best interests of 
the public schools as well as for the interests of 
our common country that this feeling of intoler- 
ance be kept down. The best means we have of 
amalgamating the foreign element and making 
good America citizens of them is found in our 
system of public schools. So I say, by all means 
let us do nothing to drive this class of our citi- 
zens away from the public schools. If a Catholic 
girl who has received her education in our pub- 



251 

lie schools is well qualified to teach school, give 
her an equal chance with others. The board of 
education in 1874 was composed of the following 
gentlemen, S. W. McMaster, president, J. F. Ever- 
itt, clerk, Mile Lee, Calvin Truesdale, Jas. M. 
Buford and M. D. Merrill. Mr. J. F. Everitt was 
superintendent of the the schools. Mr. Everitt 
came from Oscaloosa, Iowa, and was employed by 
the board a year or two before this date. He 
continued to act in that capacity, ten or twelve 
years and was succeeded by Mr. Kemble, who 
has been superintendent until the present time. 
Edward Burrall, H. C. Connelly, Dr. Truesdale, 
S. W. McMaster and J. M. Buford, served on the 
board for a number of years. Of late years 
younger men have taken their places. At this 
d ate some thirty teachers were employed and some 
nineteen hundred pupils were enrolled with 
school houses, mostly of an inferior order except 
the high school and the first ward building. The 
money raised for school purposes amounted to from 
■$23,000 to $27,000 yearly from 1872 to 1878. As 
no new school houses were built during this time. 
At this date 1894, we have ten buildings used for 
school purposes, five of them new, all built with- 
in the last five or six years. The number of pu- 
pils now enrolled is 2,655. The number of teach- 
ers employed in all departments is fifty-eight. 
The monthly pay roll amounts to $4,100. The 
yearly expenditure for all purposes is about 



252 

$55,000. A very large advance over the amount 
required, some fifteen years ago, the amount at 
that time and for some years amounted to from 
$25,000 to $30,000. The large outlay is caused in 
part by the cost of the many new school houses 
recently erected as given below. The new cen- 
tral school building which is located on the old 
high school square is now nearly completed 



will 


cost 


about 




$60,000. 


The 


new 


No. 


, 2 building 


costs about 


13,154. 


u 


« 


a 


£ u u 


a a 


17,678. 


a 


u 


a 


6 " 


" rebuilt 


19,533. 


a 


(i 


a 


7 


a u 


30,356. 


n 


u 


a 


High school, 


a a 


27,000. 



$167,721. 
A very large part of the above amount has been 
incurred within the last three years. School 
bonds have been issued bearing 5 per cent inter- 
est running three years, the limit under the state 
law. If funds are not ready to meet the bonds 
when due thev can be renewed. 



The Theological Department to Educate Young 
Men for the Ministry. 



The Augustina college erected in the east- 
ern part of the city was chartered in 1865. It 
is under the supervision and management of the 
Swedish Lutherian Augustina Synod of the 



253 

United States. The object of the institution is to 
give the Swedish population of the west a good 
collegiate education. The large number of Swedes 
located in this section of the country, and the 
beauty and healthfulness of the location was a 
sufficient inducement for the synod to remove the 
institution from Paxton near Chicago. The the- 
ological department was for the purpose of edu- 
cating their young men in theology for the pastors 
of the many Swedish settlements, found all over 
the west. In 1871 there were employed in the 
college, seven professors, and about 100 scholars 
were in attendance. The building, a fine edifice, 
erected on a high eminence overlooking the three 
cities was erected at a cost of $35,000, The trustees 
before erecting the. building, purchased twenty 
acres of ground, 'embracing the rough wooded 
hills in the rear of the college. The institution 
has been steadily increasing in popular favor and 
influence, adding from year to year to the number 
of students, and also the number of able professors 
in the different departments. They now have 
some 450 students and some 10 to 12 professors 
under the direction of President Ohlson. Some 
five or six years ago they found that they must 
have enlarged accommodations, for the large num- 
ber of students that were applying for admission. 
The present magnificent building, erected a little 
west of the old one was commenced and partially 
completed when the trustees had exhausted all 



254 

the means they could raise, and they felt that 
they could go no farther, they were completely 
discouraged, when help came to them from an 
outside source. One day while P. L. Cable was 
standing in Mitchell & Lynd's bank, President 
Hazelquist and another member of the college 
came into the bank. Mr. Cable quietly handed 
the good old president a check for $25,000, saying, 
I heard that you needed funds to complete your 
building, and I give you this check to help you 
out. The member who was with Mr. Hazelquist 
was so overcome with this unexpected timely 
gift that he burst into tears. This munificent gift 
of my good neighbor Cable enabled the trustees 
to complete the beautiful building, which is an or- 
nament to our city, as well as a great advantage 
to the educational interests, not^nly of our city, 
but of this whole section of the country. In the 
upper story of the building is a large library of 
many old rare*books. Some of them in English, 
Latin and Swede. On the same floor is a museum 
with a rare collection of objects of interest as well 
as a large collection of fossils, mostly collected in 
this section of the country by Professors Lindhall 
and Udden. In the year 1893, the trustees pur- 
chased the ten acres of ground with thedwellings 
on the same lying in front of the college, of Henry 
Hull. The price paid was $20,000. It is design- 
ed for a campus or play ground for the students. 
The founding of this institution has been a great 



255 

advantage to Rock Island and in many ways, has 
been the means of building up that part of the 
city. The students are a quiet, orderly set of 
young men; we do not hear of their doing any- 
thing out of the way, playing the pranks that 
many students do in other institutions of the kind. 
The location of our water works in 1870 in the 
western part of the city was an unfortunate one 
in many respects, both financially and physically. 
In the first place the trenches were dug too shallow, 
only 3 to 4 feet deep. The first winter after the 
pipes were laid, the ground froze very hard burst- 
ing the pipes in many places. The whole had to 
be dug up and new pipes laid, involving more 
than double the expense of the first outlay. I 
do not know who was to blame for making this 
most disasterous location which proved so detri- 
mental to the health of the city, being placed 
where the sewerage of three, cities, at any rate, a 
large share of it, must inevitably be drawn into 
the suction of the inlet pipe. In the winter if the 
river was closed over with ice the sewerage from 
Moline and our city floated along the shore and 
went into the suction pipe, contaminating and 
poisoning the water that we used. One winter a 
large number of or citizens had what was called 
winter cholera. Many of them were made very 
sick, and a few death's occurred from the disease. 
This all came from the impure water. The works 
were soon moved to the present location, but it was 



256 

soon found that the sewerage from Moline passed 
most of it down the slough, and that the only way 
to avoid this new evil was to run an inlet to the 
point of the island and get the water direct from 
the foot of the rapids. The city being already in 
debt up to the legal limit, it could not further in- 
crease our indebtedness. In this dilemma P. L, 
Cable came to the rescue and generously donated 
$25,000 towards giving us at last as pure water as 
we could expect to get from the Mississippi. We 
have not been troubled with winter cholera since. 

Whenever the river is very high, it becomes 
quite muddy and of course what water we all use 
(as it has no chance to settle) is not very clean. 
In order to remedy this defect Ben Cable some 
three years ago very generously donated $15,000 
for the erection of a filter that it was supposed 
would give us good clear water. It made the water 
somewhat purer, but whether the filter was im- 
properly constructed or that it was too small, it 
has not produced the desired effect. This does 
not in the least detract from the credit due to our 
good friend and neighbor Ben. 

Among the leading lawyers in Rock Island in 
1866 were John B. Hawley, who at this time was 
the postmaster here. He was afterwards elected 
as a member of congress from this district and 
served two terms receiving the nomination the 
second term. P. L. Cable who was absent in Eu- 
rope atHhe time received the nomination of the 



257 

Democrats. In his absence Ramsom R. Cable 
conducted the campaign for his uncle in which 
he developed rare qualities as a very successful 
political magnate. So close was the vote that 
neighbor Hawley came out ahead only 46 votes. 
Mr. Hawley was selected by Secretary Foster of 
the treasury department as his assistant and 
for some months during the absence and illness 
of Secretary Foster, was acting secretary of the 
treasury. Owing to a quarrel among the repub- 
licans of Rock Island Mr. Hawley failed to receive 
the nomination for the third term, He was a 
faithful a^l efficient representative for Rock Is- 
land and Moline, as well as for the whole congres- 
sional district. 

W. H.Gest another prominent lawyer received 
the Republican nomination for congress during 
President Harrison's administration. He proved 
himself a good working efficient member. He 
succeeded in obtaining appropriations for the 
erection of a viaduct over the railroads leading 
to the bridge, to the island. The appropriation 
was $75,000. Also one for the erection of a govern- 
ment building in Rock Island, for a postoffice and 
for the engineer department under Major McKen- 
zie. The amount appropriated was $75,000. This 
building seems to be in abeyance at present. Our 
very progressive Democratic regime seems to be 
out of funds. The whole country seems to be 
struck with paralysis since the second adventof 



258 

Cleveland, backed upas he is with a large major- 
ity in both branches of congress. Manu- 
factures of all kinds are parallyzed, gaunt hun- 
gry men roaming around, seeking in vain for 
something to do, to keep them and their families 
from starving. These dire results seem to be due 
to the policy that is being inaugurated by the 
Democrats since they have come into power. Back 
of all this, however, there has been much in the 
history of the last few years under Republican 
rule to gradually prepare for this disasterous 
state of things. But the Democratic party will 
have to. bear the blame, and they will reap the 
fruits for their share in the distresses ol||he coun- 
try and for their constant pandering to the free 
trade south, in a signal defeat in 1896. 

W. H. Guest received the Republican nomina- 
tion in 1892, but was badly snowed under by his 
Democratic opponent, Ben Cable, running be- 
hind some 2,000 votes. It was said that Ben's 
barrel had a good deal to do with the result. 
This is probably very doubtful as this tremend- 
ous political result occurred in many other dis- 
tricts all over the country. Judge Wilkinson, the 
veteran lawyer of Rock Island, who has been prac- 
ticing here and in other circuits for the last forty 
years is still here, leading a quiet, but lonely 
bachelor life. Sweney & Jackson, who were here 
in 1865, an old established firm of lawyers are 
still here but are no longer partners. Judge George 



259 

Pleasants who for many years has been on the 
bench,and is now associate judge with a more exten- 
sive jurisdiction, is still here. Henry C. Connelly, 
whose main business is collecting and office work, 
a quiet unobtrusive man, my friend and col- 
league for many years on the library and school 
boards, I found here in 1865. E. E. Parmenter, 
another quiet unassuming lawyer, who was elect- 
ed stal.es attorney for some two terms is very pop- 
ular with his country clients because they think 
him honest. 

Moline and its Water Power's Successful Growth. 

Iu 1841 John W. Spencer, Spencer White and 
D. B. Sears, done the first work towards develop- 
ing the water power and giving impetus to the 
growth of Moline. Under the direction of D. B. 
Sears they built a brush dam across the slough to 
the island. They built a flour and saw mill on 
the Moline side. In 1846 Chas. Atkinson built a 
saw mill and in connection with it a pianino- 
mill the first one of the kind north of St. Louis, 
These first small beginnings were the nuclus 
around which all the great manufacturing inter- 
ests were developed in after years. These inter- 
ests received a great impetus by the building of 
the immense dam constructed by the United 
Sltates for the purpose of running the requisite 
machinery of the contemplated shops on the is- 
land. 



260 

The Moline water power company was organiz- 
ed in 1855. Its officers were Chas. Atkinson, pres- 
ident, John Deere, vice president, J. M. Gould, sec- 
retary. Members of the company were John 
Deere, D, C. Dimock, John Gould, R. K. Swann, 
J. 8. Keator and S. W. Wheelock. All enter- 
prising, thorough business men, all of whom dur- 
ing their long residence in Moline have taken a 
leading part in the upbuilding of the city of their 
adoption. To these men and some others like 
them, Moline for many years owed herexemption 
from the effects of the baleful liquor traffic. For 
many years there were no saloons allowed in the 
young city. In later years a few saloons have been 
licensed, but they are held to a strict account and 
are not allowed to do as they please, as they are in 
other towns in the neighborhood, debauching 
the young and keeping open doors seven days in 
the week. 

Of the many manufacturing establishments we 
will enumerate only a few of the largest. The 
Deere plow company's works are the largest of any 
in the United States. These plows and cultivators 
are shipped to almost all parts of the civilized 
world. The Muline plow company is also a very 
extensive concern. Some of the workmen en- 
gaged in the Deere company with a number of 
Moline capitalists started the new concern in about 
1864. S. W. Wheelock was a large stockholder 
in the new concern and was president for some 



261 

years. He also owned most of the stock in the 
extensive Moline paper mill. He built the first 
post office building, in the upper part of which he 
finished off a large hall and two other large con- 
venient rooms for a library and reading room. 
These he donated to the city of Moline in perpet- 
uity for a free library and reading room. He was 
a very liberal public spirited man and was elected 
mayor for a number of terms. He and uncle John 
Deere were at the head of the rival plow compan- 
ies and both have gone to that better land where 
rivalry and jealousy cease. 

The Moline wagon company from a small con- 
cern in 1870, started by James Furst, Morris 
Rosenfield and others; hasbecomeone of the most 
extensive concerns in the northwest under the 
wise, judicious management of Mr. Rosenfield, 
who now is the principal owner, controlling most 
of the stock. 

Barnard Lease & company keep all sorts of 
mill machinery for which they find an extensive 
market all over the United States and ship large- 
ly of these improved mill machinery to South 
America, England and Germany. 

Dimock, Gould & company, heavy dealers in 
lumber, planing mill products, wood, paper, tubs 
and buckets, are an old reliable firm in the upper 
part of the city. Williams, White & company deal- 
ers in foundry machinery, engines etc., are the 
leading manufactures in their line in the three 



262 

cities. The concern is now under the control of 
Mr. AiusWorth, who controls most of the stock. 

J. S. Keator, who at one time was largely inter- 
ested in the lumber trade in all three of the cities, 
who built the Keator house, the principal hotel in 
Moline, is no longer in active business. He has 
always been recognized as one of the most enter- 
prising citizens of Moline. 

There are well established malable iron works, 
two organ factories, pump and scale works and 
wind mill works, all have been doing a fair pros- 
perous trade for the last few years. 

Among the more recent manufactories are the 
Wilson buggy works owned and controlled by J. 
H. Wilson, the extensive Sickler buggy works, the 
wheel works, the furniture and electric power 
works, which supplies the three cities with elec- 
tric light, under the management of the Davis 
brothers. All of these last mentioned concerns are 
found in the lower part of the city. The young 
city has a number of first class stores, some five 
or six well constructed modern school buildings. 
A good free public library with some 6,000 to 7,000 
volumns of well selected books. The population 
is about 15,000. 



263 

A Short Notice of Some of the Early Settlers in the 

Southern Part of Rock Island County. 

Their Trials and Difficulties. 



There was quite a large emigration to Edging- 
ton township, most of these early pioneers came 
here from 1834 to 1840. Daniel Edgington, 
James Robinson, Joseph D. Dunlap and John 
Edgington came herein 1834, later on cameChas. 
Eberhart, the Titteringtons, John and Charles 
Moses. In 1836 the Montgomeries, Daniel and 
the Rev. John, located on the prairie. In 1838 
the Parmesters, Lorenzo, George and Allen, H. H. 
Parks and a number of others were added to 
the young settlement. Most of these emigrants 
came from Pennsylvania and Ohio attracted by the 
beauty and fertility of the rich, fertile prairie soil. 
The gently rolling landscape and the wooded hills 
covered with a heavy growth of timber attracted 
a large number of emigrants. Coperas and Mill 
creeks pass through the township, and numerous 
springs of pure water are found in abundance. 
Game was plenty, deer, wild turkeys and prairie 
chickens were abundant. One great drawback 
to these early settlers was the want of mills to 
grind their bread stuffs. The nearest mill was 
forty-five miles away, at Hendersonville, Knox 
county, having to cross creeks and sloughs with- 
out any bridges and rough roads. They resorted 
to many expedients to assist them in reducing 



264 

their corn and wheat in a shape to make bread, 
pulverizing the grain in iron kettles or pound- 
ing it out on rocks. Corn in all the various ways 
in which it can be prepared for food, was utilized 
to eke out the supplies of bread. Joseph Dunlap, 
who was quite a mechanical genius, finally con- 
structed a rude mill, using granite boulders that 
were scattered over the prarie for burr stones. To 
the lower stone was attached an iron shaft and 
pulley, which was driven by a horse-power con- 
sisting of a heavy upright shaft of timber, held in 
position by a large beam resting on the crotches 
of two oak trees. Arms projected from this shaft 
like the spokes of a wheel and within their circle 
a horse was hitched to one of the spokes hitched 
to a raw hide band. Its capacity for grinding 
was fifty bushels per day Bolting was done with 
a hand sieve when required, but the meal was 
mostly used unbolted. No toll was taken, the 
persons using the mill furnishing the team. 
Some people from Iowa would come across the 
river in the winter on the ice and use this prim- 
itive mill. Such was the way these hardy pio- 
neers managed to surmount the many difficulties 
that surrounded them. But they as well as thous- 
ands of others scattered all along the Rock river 
and all over the northwest country toiled along 
with indomitable energy until they, by per- 
severence and pluck, have developed one of the 
fairest of the portions of our broad land into 



265 

what we see to day a land teeming with well cul- 
tivated farms and well built cities and villages. 

Nearly all of these emigrants brought more or 
less ready means with them. Spending them in 
opening up their farms, erecting houses, barns, 
etc. 

In about 1840, after the great financial revo- 
lution of 1837, and from that date until 1848, all 
business seemed to be parallyzed. Farmers had by 
1840 commenced to raise a surplus of produce 
but there was no market; no money to buy what 
they had to sell. Wheat was 35 cents, corn 6J 
to 10 cents and even at these low prices the farmer 
could get no money, not enough to pay their tax- 
es, not enough sometimes to pay the postage on a 
letter, which cost 25 cents then. All necessaries 
such as dry goods, clothing, hardware, etc., were 
under the almost free importation of foreign 
goods of that day very high, the best calico 25 to 
35 cents per \^ard, common strong muslin 15 to 
20 cents and everything else in propoition in the 
line of dry goods. Occasionally a farmer would 
take a load of wheat to Chicago and get 37 h cents 
per bushel and load back sometimes with salt 
and other heavy commodities. The return he 
would get after paying his expenses was small 
indeed. Pork was from 1 to 1J cents per pound. 
In 1842 I well recollect a farmer who lived near 
Prophetstown on Rock river brought a load of as 
fine youngBerkshirepigs as I ever saw to Galena. 



266 

He went through the streets trying tosell his load 
at $1.25 per 100 pounds, some Irish women and 
men were following, him around, offering him one 
cent per pound. Towards night he had been im- 
bibing pretty freely and commenced crying "show 
me a decent Irishmen and I will give him a pig." 
This was in Galena where there was* money to 
buy anything that was offered if wanted. 

From this we can form some estimate of the 
stringency of the times in less favored sections of 
the country. 

This story is told of Henry Eberhart, who was 
one of the early settlers of Edgington township. 
He brought a load of wheat of 40 bushels 
into Rock Island and sold it at 35 cents per bushel, 
taking his pay in dry goods. Meeting some friends 
he took a little to much of tangle foot and 
towards night his team getting tired of waiting 
broke loose and started for home. When he 
found his team gone, he started off on foot towards 
home with his bundle of dry goods slung over his 
shoulder. Meeting some one who knew him they 
asked him what he was carrying. He replied, 
"I am carrying 40 bushels of wheat." Laboring 
men received not to exceed fifty cents per day 
and were usually paid in an order for goods on a 
store. We complain of the hard times of the 
present, when a days wages for common labor is 
from $1.25 to $1.75, and everything except meats 
and groceries is less than one-half the prices paid 



267 

in these early days. In my long sojourn in the 
valley of the upper Mississippi I have passed 
through three or four financial crisises, butl must 
say that the present one upon us differs altogeth- 
er from any other in the past history of the coun- 
try. It is not from the want of money, the coun- 
try is teeming with surplus capital seeking invest- 
ment, but finding none owing to distrust of the 
future. It is not f©r the want of food supplies, we 
have an abundant overflowing surplus which we 
cannot sell. Manufactured goods are abundant 
and cheaper then we have ever known heretofore, 
with all this abundant supply, of all that is needed. 
it would seem ought to give us prosperous times, 
thousands of laborers all over our seemingly pros- 
perous country are thrown out of employment. The 
wheels of manufacturing industry are still, all 
classes in our country are looking on in amaz- 
ment and dismay at this paralysis of the whole 
business ol the country. It is said that Xero was 
fiddling and rejoicing when Rome was burn- 
ing. The majority in our two houses of con- 
gress are playing the role of Nero in stiil persisting 
in trying to carry out their policy, in passing 
their tariff and siegnorage bills. Notwithstanding 
the protests that are coming to them from every 
manufacturing interest in the northern states. 
They must carry out their free trade platform. 
Must obey the the behests of the southern agricul- 
ural states. 



268 

This is somewhat of a digression from my nar- 
rative of passing events, in part going overground 
treated in the earlier part of my life. 



The Old Canal and the Hennepin, 



In 1836 our state inaugurated the wild and 
extravagant system of internal improvements in 
which they proposed to make every small river 
in the state a navigable stream, and commenced 
the construction of railroads in many parts of 
the state, one of which was the Illinois Central 
starting at Cairo and terminating at Galena. On 
this road a large amount of work was done from 
Savanna to Galena, which has been partly utiliz- 
ed since by the Burlington. At the same time a 
canal was commenced on Vandruff's Island and 
also at Sterling to improve the rapids at that 
point. Some 200 men were employed on the is- 
land in excavating a ditch for the purpose of 
making Rock river a navigable stream. Canal 
script, state script and state bonds, were issued to 
carry on this vast system of improvements which 
was to benefit every county in the state. Those 
counties which from their location could receive 
no direct benefit from these contemplated improve- 
ments were to receive money or state script. The 
legislature seemed to think their means and credit 
were unlimited. They even passed an act mak- 
ing state bank money a lawful tender for govern- 



269 
merit" land. Lieut. Governor Menard, an old 
Frenchman, says to them, "you can pass him, but 
I bet one tollar Uncle Sam no take de state mon- 
ish." Towards fall in 1836 the bubble burst. 
The script was paid out to the men employed on 
the various works at 50 cents on the dollar in a 
few weeks it was selling at 25 cents. Many men 
who thought themselves rich suddenly found 
themselves bankrupt. All the banks of the state 
suspended specie payments. The state during this 
craze had incurred a debt of $29,000,000. For 
some years the tide of emigration which had been 
flowing into the state suddenly ceased. Emigrants 
feared the excessive taxation that must be laid 
upon the people to rid themselves of this vast debt 
for a young undeveloped state. So much for these 
disasterous times brought on in part by the sui- 
cidal policy of the Jackson administration in 
wielding the whole power of the government 
against the United States bank breaking it down, 
and making the state banks the depositors of the 
government funds, and thus encouraging specu- 
lation, as I have stated in the earlier part of my 
narrative. To return to the canal, some remains 
of this ancient work still remain to be 
seen on the north side of the island. The 
idea of building a canal from Hennepin to Rock 
Island uniting the Illinois and Mississippi rivers, 
was first advocated about 1854. I think Major 
Allen, of Geneseo, was the first one who took a 



270 

leading part in urging its importance on the coun- 
try. He was for many years the countv clerk of 
Henry county. Since that time many conven- 
tions have been held at Rock Island and other 
points to influence the congress of the United 
States to order surveys of the proposed route and 
to make an appropriation for building it. A bill 
for the accomplishment of this project was drafted 
and at every session of congress since, attempts 
have been made to have action taken about 
it by the members of congress for our own 
district, and also by the representative from 
Iowa, by the senators from our state and Iowa. 
Delegations of citizens from our city and from 
Davenport and Moline have been sent to 
Washington to try and help loby it through. 
Whether they done anything towards helping 
along the project is a matter of doubt, but they 
had a good time generaly, without any expense to 
themselves, and some of them tried to accom- 
plish a good stroke of business for themselves, 
while acting for the public, and came very near 
accomplishing a measure affecting the interests 
of all this section of country most disasterously. 
Fortunately the project was nipped in the bud. 
The great bridge connecting the three cities still 
remains a free highway for all the people of this 
section. 

A few years before the first appropriation of $500,- 
000 was made by congress there was a good deal 



271 

of contention about the termination of the pro- 
posed canal, which had a tendency to retard 
action by congress. Clinton and Lyons wished 
it to terminate on the Mississippi by way of the 
Meridocia, above the rapids. Moline had a pro- 
ject for its termination on the rapids at Water- 
town, bringing it down the rapids by a canal and 
slack water to Moline. Moline spent considerable 
money in having surveys made of the route pro- 
posed and sending delegates to congress. The 
engineers employed by the government after look- 
ing over all the routes finally decided that the 
terminus should be at the mouth of Rock rivci\ 
Then arose a contention between Rock Island and 
Davenport as to which side of the river should 
have the preference. Rock island wished it to 
follow the north bank and a slough running along 
side of the Mississippi to a point just below the 
city line. This no doubt would have been the 
route selected as all the surveys that had been 
made wereonthe north bank. But private greed 
stepped in asking an extravagant price for some 
land on Vandruff Island and defeated this pet 
measure of Rock Island. A new survey was ord- 
ered on the south side, and was found to be less 
expensive and to give a good terminus in deep 
water on the Mississippi, Work was commenced 
and has been prosecuted vigorously under the 
able management and direction of Mr. Wheeler, 
the engineer in charge. The earth and rock ex 



272 

cavation, the two massive locks for the work are 
nearly all completed for a distance of about five 
miles to Carr's island. 

Now as to the question whether the building 
of this canal which will cost when completed ac- 
cording to the estimates some $8,000,000 will ever 
be of any real benefit to the commerce of the coun- 
try. It will be many years even under the most 
favorable auspices before it can be finished, as 
there will always be a strong opposition in con- 
gress against making large or even any appro- 
priation to this doubtful measure. 

When it is finished (if it ever is) wmat valuable 
purpose will it serve in the interests of commerce. 
Our noble river as being used less and less from 
year to year for commercial purposes. The main 
and principal use now is for transportation of lum- 
ber rafts from the upper Mississippi. The pine for- 
ests from wmich these rafts are supplied are being 
fast denuded and already the larger share of logs are 
used there, cut in the upper country. Only a few 
small sized stern wheeled boats are now engaged in 
carrying passengers and what little freight is of- 
fered. A few excursion boats plying between the 
villages and cities along the river. The numer- 
ous raft boats will soon be no more. Railroads 
crossing the Mississippi at this point will not re- 
ship their freight on the canal. About all the 
traffic that will seek canal route will be such heavy 
articles as iron and salt coming by the lakes. The 



273 

many improvements being made in the naviga- 
tion of the upper Mississippi costing many mil- 
lions from St. Louis and St. Paul will sooner or 
later be discontinued as an useless expenditure 
of money. This seems to be an inevitable result 
growing out of the present tendency of things. A 
result much to be deplored by those who have 
from year to year noticed the falling off of the 
business by the way of the river. When we look 
back a few years when our magnificient steamers 
were plowing their way up and down the river 
loaded with freight and passengers. The freight 
for transportation to the gulf of Mexico, by the 
way of New Orleans. And now alas ! where are 
they? The iron horse with its net work of lines 
quartering the northwest in every direction 
parallyzing and throttling the river, Anaconda 
like on both side, destroying its usefulness for com- 
mercial purposes. But the grand beautiful river 
still will flow on, ever blessing the inhabitants of 
its banks with its glorious and beautiful scenery. 
We can still, if we will, take an occasional ex- 
cursion up or down the river for a short distance, 
enjoying the fine scenery found all along its 
shores. 

My Old Galena Home for a Quarter of a Century. 



I visit Galena, my place of residence for so 
many years, almost every year. I still find there 



is 



274 

a few warm friends whom I knevv during the last 
years of my sojourn there. But alas, of the many 
dear friends that I knew in the days of my youth 
when I first arrived, only three remain alive. Gen. 
G. Jones, Mrs. Jas. G. Soulard and Mrs. A. G. S. 
Wight. They are all close on to 90 years of age. 
But the rugged picturesque hills of this old 
"Lead City of the Hills" still remain the same as 
they were during the days of its commercial 
glory. It still has about the same population 
that it had 30 years ago. It has the same well 
built brick stores strung along the upper part of 
its narrow Main street filled with well selected 
stocks of goods for the retail country trade. Many 
substantial brick dwellings are scattered along 
Bench street, whose occupants can look down 
into the upper stories of their neighbors living on 
Main street. There are many beautiful homes 
scattered along and near the crest of the steep 
hill sides, the foundations for which have been 
Utterly hewn out of the solid rocks. Their small 
yards filled with a wealth of beautiful flowers and 
shrubs and shady groves of evergreen trees. Near- 
ly all the yards, even the humble cabins have a 
little spot devoted to roses and other flowers. The 
many church spires are gathered together in a 
small semi-circle on Bench street, their tall spires 
reaching only half way up the steep bluff. There 
are many stairways, up which the people living 
on the hill make their toilsome ascent of 300 feet. 



275 

At the termination of one of these stairways on 
the highest crest of the hills is the High School 
building, a massive brick structure overlooking 
the little city. This building was erected in 1856 
under my administration and direction as super- 
intendent of the public schools during its erection. 

But the crowning attraction in old Galena, is 
the Grant Park containing the Grant and Soldier's 
monuments. The park contains about ten acres, 
stretching along and overlooking the river face- 
ing West Galena. The ground around the mon- 
ument is a level gravelled plat, with an elevation 
of about fifty feet ahove the river. The rest of the 
park is undulating ground, sloping away in every 
direction, filled with many flower beds, young 
evergreens, a few native trees of oak and hickory. 
The outlook from the park is very picturesque 
and grand in every direction. On the north lies 
the quaint little city resting in a semi-circle of hills, 
on the south and east is East Galena with its set- 
ting of hills deeply wooded. In the distance are 
seen many mounds rising spme 300 fee;; above the 
general level of the country. 

This mining region is the highest land in the 
state. The glaziers during the ice period seem to 
have passed around the whole lead mine district, 
embracing an area of some fifty miles in each di- 
rection, leaving it undenuded. No granite bould- 
ers or drift is found in the mining district. High 
peaks are found scattered all over this section. 



276 

Pilot Knob just south of Galena, with its outlook 
for many miles up and down the great river; 
Waddle's and Hinkley's Mounds a short distance 
east of Galena. The sloping, beautiful Platteville 
Mound and the Blue Mounds in Wisconsin. They 
all stand as sentinels overlooking the country and 
it would seem to indicate that it must have been 
ages and ages ago, that another and older ice per- 
iod which denuded this lead mine district, left 
these lonely peaks of mountain lime stone 
undenudecl. Occasionally beds of shells are found 
in mineral holes and wells in this section. 

Galenians are justly proud of their record in 
the past, as having been the commercial center 
of the Northwest. They also speak with pride of 
the many strong men who have gone out from 
these rugged hills, who have made their mark in 
every city and village from Chicago to the Paci- 
fic coast. 

Galena is still a pleasant place in which to 
spend ones declining years, It's a cheap place 
in which to live. The market square where all 
the farmers and hucksters congregate twice a 
week, is well supplied with every thing needed, 
coming in from the well cultivated farms in the 
neighborhood. This market is one of the sights 
of Galena worth seeing, with its array in the fall 
season of choice vegetables and fruit. Where 
the housekeeper can go and purchase all the 
wants for the table. 



277 

Galena has an artisian well with an abundant 
flow of excellent pure water. The supply is suf- 
ficient for fire purposes and is carried all over the 
city, being forced up the hills by steam power. It's 
source is found in the St. Peters sand stone for- 
mation at a depth of 1,300 feet. 

In June, 1891, 1 attended the unveiling of the 
grand monument of Gen. Grant, so generously 
donated by Mr. Kohlsatt, of Chicago, whose boy- 
hood life was passed in Galena. The occasion 
drew an immense crowd from all parts of the 
West. Chicago was well represented by many of 
the friends of the dead hero, who had formerly 
lived in Galena. Chauncey M. Depew was the or- 
ator of the day and held the vast crowd spell 
bound b}^ his splendid effort. It was one of the 
gala days of old Galena, and will long be remem- 
bered by those who were there. 

Geology of Rock island County. 



The geological strata underlying this county 
and coming to the surface is somewhat singular. 
It is the northern outcrop of the lower strata of 
the coal measures. The upper Devonian, the 
Hamilton series underlay all the middle and low- 
er portions of the county. The Niagura or upper 
siluria is found in the upper portion of the 
county cropping out at Port Byron. A portion 



278 

< 

of three of the great systems of the earth's crust 
coming to the surface all within the space of 15 
to 20 miles. All of these systems are rich in the 
different fossils peculiar to their formations. Af- 
fording an ample field for the geologist. 

That portion of the country lying south and 
east of the Mississippi and Rock river ranges of 
bluffs, is underlaid with the coal measures. The 
coal being found in pockets or basins, and the 
larger portions of these deposits are mostly ex- 
hausted. The largest coal deposits are found 
south of Rock river in the neighborhood of Coal 
Valley, from which an immense amount of coal 
has been taken in the past. There are still mines 
there that are being worked, but the mines worked 
there by P. L. Cable are exhausted. Chas. Earnes 
and William Books were the first pioneers in the 
coal industry. They opened the mines cropping 
out of the bluffs, a little west of Carbon cliff. 
They commenced this work in 1836. The deposit 
did not prove to be very extensive and was ex- 
hausted in a few years. A Galena man, Samuel 
D. Carpenter worked these mines a short time in 
1838, and the large tract of land embracing the 
mines finally fell into the hands of Henry Cor- 
with, of Galena. The next mines opened were 
found just north of Black Hawk's town, and were 
first opened by Lemuel Andrews while we were 
partners. This was in 1839. These mines have 
been worked since by different parties, but in late 



279 

years by Bailey Davenport, the owner of the land. 
The Coal Valley mines were opened later and 
were ut first operated by Ben Harper, S. S. 
Gayer & Henry Hakes. They were operating 
them as late as 1850. I bought a barge load at 
that time of Mr. Hakes, for the use of the War 
Eagle Mills at Galena paying 12J cents per 
bushel delivered. The mines finally fell into the 
hands of P. L. Cable, who worked them success- 
fully making a large profit from them, as I stated 
before in my narrative. The coal industry be- 
came a very important one to Rock [sland, when 
the steamboats in their palmy days commenced 
using coal instead of wood for most of their fuel. 
This became their principal coaling point above 
St. Louis. Steamboats usually took on a supply 
for going both up the river and down. The 
amount of tons mined in the county in 1880 was 
about 3,000, amounting at the mines to some 
§550,000. This estimate did not include the 
large amount brought in by teams for domestic 
use, from the Porter Bowles and other mines ly- 
ing north of Rock river. 

The Naigura limestone found at Port Byron and 
Cordova makes an excellent lime, and in early 
days was shipped largely to all parts of the upper 
Mississippi. It was one of the leading industries 
of these two river towns. The limestone quarries 
found in the county are used mostly for common 
work, building cellars mostly, not being fit for 
finer use. 



280 
The Death of the Great Hungarian Patriot. 



A telegram from Turin, Italy, dated March, 
21st, 1894, announces the death of Louis Kossuth, 
the distinguished Hungarian patriot and orator, 
at the advanced age of 92. Thus the great 
men of a past age are passing away one by one. 

In the great revolutionary upheaval of 1848 
when the oppressed people nearly all over Europe 
arose in their might and attempted to throw off the 
yoke of their oppressors, when thrones of Kings 
tottered and many of the little princelets of Ger- 
many were obliged to flee to save their lives from 
the wrath of outraged people, when Italy under 
the lead of the brave Garibaldi threw off the hat- 
ed yoke of Austria and the fatal domination of 
the hierarchy of Rome and would have succeeded 
but for the interference of Napolean the III "The 
Little;" When poor down trodden Ireland caught 
anew the revolutionary spirit and attempted to 
throw off the domination of England, ending as 
all similar attempts heretofore have done in de- 
feat and the imprisonment and banishment of 
many of her talented sons. It was at the time of 
the great uprising of the oppressed people of Eu- 
rope that Louis Kossuth and his compatriots at- 
tempted to throw off the yoke of the double head- 
ed eagle of Austria, and assert tneir independence 
as a free people. The Austrians were driven out 
of the county in a very short time by the Hun- 



281 

garians under the lead of the brave Kossuth, Gen. 
Bern and other leaders. But at this juncture the 
Bear of the North, the Czar of Russia, with his 
horde of Cossacks appeared and interfered with an 
overwhelming force. The brave Hungarians 
were driven from their strong-holds one after the 
other. Their last stand was made at Comorn, 
which resisted the combined attack of Austrians 
and Russians for a number oi weeks, but was 
obliged to succumb at last. I well recollect hear- 
ing the silver tounged, talented orator, Ed. Baker, 
who was our whig candidate for congress in the 
Galena district, describe in glowing words the 
terrible contest raging at this time around the 
strong walls of the beleagured fortress of Comorn. 
This attempt by Hungary for a separate political 
existance failed, and Louis Kossuth and a num- 
ber of other patriots were driven into exile. Kos- 
suth has remained an exile ever since, re- 
fusing to return to his native country while it 
was united to Austria. He was often invited* to 
do so, but always refused. One of these patriotic 
Hungarians, Count Harasty came to this section 
of the country settling first at Aztalan on the up- 
per waters of Rock river, where he built a small 
steamboat, bringing it down the river and taking 
it to Galena and from there up the Wisconsin 
river to Prairie Du Sac, where he settled perman- 
ently. While the count was in Galena he bor- 
rowed some money of an excentric old German, 



282 

and pledged his gold embroidered coat as secur- 
ity. He did not redeem it. Whenever the old 
man had taken too much beer, he would put on 
this bespangled coat and march up and down the 
streets of Galena. 

Louis Kossuth came to this country and was 
enthusiasticly received everywhere, visitingmany 
of the chief cities of the north. He was permitted 
to address congress on the subject that engrossed 
all his thoughts. The great wrong done his be- 
loved country by the interference of Russia in 
coming to the assistance of Austria. The object 
of his mission to this country and to England was 
to create a public sentiment against this kind of 
interference by outside nations against people 
struggling for liberty to manage their own affairs. 
His speeches made at the points he visited were 
all reported in the New York Tribune. They 
were models of pure chaste English, eloquent and 
charming. He must have had a wonderful re- 
tentive memory. In all the speeches that he made 
in the different cities he would recite all the prin- 
cipal events that had occurred during the period 
of their revolutionary history. It was simply 
marvelous how he could in so short a time be- 
tween his visits from one city to the other, mas- 
ter and give so correctly all the details connected 
with each one. 

A Hungarian fund was raised through the New 
York Tribune to which I contributed $10, receiv- 



283 

ing for the same a neatly engraved note having 
the great Hungarian's picture, to be paid the first 
year after the declaration of Hungarian independ- 
ence. I have it at this time, still in my possession. 
This is somewhat of a digression from my nara- 
tive, but I give it as a tribute to the memory of a 
truly great man, one of the heroes of this century. 
The Prince Delonville and Due Des Chartres, 
sons of Louis Philip of France, passed through 
Galena in 1842, stopping over there one day on 
their way down the river to New Orleans. They 
had been to Green Bay to visit the missionary, 
Williams, who claimed to be the dauhpin of 
France, the son of Queen Maria Antionette. who 
soon after the death of the King and Queen by 
guillotine during the first terrible days of the 
French revolution of 1798, was secretly taken by 
a faithful servant of the family and carried to 
New Orleans where he remained some years un- 
der the care of this guardian and was finally 
taken to Green Bay where there was a large 
French settlement. He was, as he alleged, taken 
there for safety after Louisiana was transferred to 
France by Spain, at the time of the conquest of 
Spain by Napoleon Bonaparte. Mr. Williams at 
the time of their visit was a Catholic mission- 
ary to the Oneida Indians, one of the confeder- 
ate tribes of the six nations of New York who 
were settled on a reservation some five miles east 
of Green Bay. The report had reached Louis 



284 

Philip of the claim of Williams to be the dauphin 
and it was supposed that the princes were sent 
out to ascertain if there was any foundation to 
his claim. Whether they ascertained that he 
was an impostor or not was never known to the 
outside world, as no report of the result wasjever 
made public. Mr. Williams died many years 
ago. In 1852 I went to Green Bay to visit Wm. 
E. Thomas, a former editor of the Galena Gazette, 
while there we went out to the scene of Mr. Wil- 
laims' labors among these Indians. We went 
out to church and found a good sized chapel and 
listened to a discourse by an Indian pastor. The 
Indians were mostly dressed in our costumes. 
There was a large settlement with many farms, 
fairly well cultivated and with good comfortable 
dwellings. 

This grand old French settlement had many 
things of interest It stretched along up the Fox 
river. The little holdings of land outside of the 
village were only about 300 feet fronting on the 
Fox river extending back nearly two miles in 
length to another small river, giving each set- 
tler so many arpents fronting on both streams. 
Senator Howe lived at this time in Green Bay, 



285 

Moral Extracts From Various Authors and Com- 
ments- -To be Read or Skipped as 
may Suit the Reader. 

"How tedious and how tasteless the hours, 

When Jesus no longer I see, 
Sweet birds, sweet prospects, sweet flowers 

Have all lost their charms for me." 

This, an extract from an old hymn, is the re- 
frain of a soul who has lost communion with 
God in nature, who no longer sees the hand of a 
kind, loving Father in all His works, who watches 
over and will see to the final happiness and 
well being of all the sentient beings He has 
created. 

"When man lives with God his voice shall be 
sweet as the murmur of brooks, or the rustle of 
corn." 

"The soul of man is not an organ but animates 
" and exercises all the organs. Is not a function 
" like the power of memory or calculation of 
" comparison, but uses them as hands and feet. Is 
" not a faculty but a light. Is not intellect or will, 
" but the master of intellect and will. Is the 
" vast back ground of our being in which they 
" lie, an immensity not possessed, that cannot be 
"possessed." — Emerson on our soul . 

"Love is Heaven's highest law, the synonym 
" of God. God builds his temple in the ruins of 
" churches and creeds. Clear of the blots of human 
" ignorance and superstition from our church 



286 

" creeds and catechisms and sacred biographies, 
" our theological treatises, makes them to be more 
" in accordance with the spirit of the Divine Mas- 
" ter, the essence of which is love and good will to 
" all the race." 

"Woe to the churches that look backward like 
" Lot's wife. They will in the future become 
" mere monuments of death." — Pere Hyacinth. 

"The revelation of organic law is Love, from 
" which results the order of the Universe. The 
" gravitation of atoms, the attraction of seas and 
" worlds, the union of all created things, from 
" the highest star to the tiniest plant. From the 
" crawling insect to man who walks with his brow 
" elevated towards Heaven in seach of the great 
" author of his being." — Santaine in Piccola. 

"Nature with its flowers and fruits, its perfumes 
" and spices, blooms and gems, its woods, and 
" streams, skies and seas, its quivering warmth 
" and tenderness under the familar sunlight, and 
" its cool solemn stillness under the glittering 
" stars, awakens feelings of awe and devotion 
" for the Great Creator of this world of beauty." — 

Henry M. Alden. 

"Alan is so made he must believe in the invis- 
" able and adore the supreme. If he has no God 
" he will resort to witchcraft, spiritualism, hypno- 
" tism and kindred delusions. Only the reverent 
" and devout can learn how to know. Life of every 
" kind in all its manifestations is God's love." — 
Philip Brooks. 



287 
Newspapers of Rock Island. 



The first newspaper started in Rock Island was 
The Upper Mississippi in 1840, edited by Daniel 
Crist. It was a whig paper in politics and advo- 
cated the election of Gen. Harrison. Dr, Silas 
Reed an able writer was an associate editor. He 
was afterwards appointed surveyor general for 
the state of Missouri and Illinois and made his 
headquarters at St. Louis. John G. Powars, 
the grandfather ot young Henry Powars owned 
at one time a controlling interest in the paper. 
Dan'l G. Garnsey, who was formerly a member 
of congress in the state of New York and who 
had an interest in the Chicago or lower addition 
of Rock Island, occasionally contributed political 
articles. He and his son, Charles took a leading 
part in the political campaign that resulted in 
the election of Gen. Harrison. They were reward- 
ed by receiving the appointment of receiver and 
register of the land office at Dixon, 111. Under 
the Pierce administration, they w T ere succeeded 
by my old time Democratic friends, George Mex- 
ter and John Dement, formerly of Galena. A 
number of persons were connected with its man- 
agement until 1884, when the name was changed 
to the Rock Island Republican, when it passed 
under the management of Harman G. Reynolds, 
who had held the office of probate judge, under 
whose adroit manipulations the Miller estate was 



288 

so managed by making large yearly allowances 
to the widow, that the creditors received nothing, 
and Miller's partner was left to settle the debts 
amounting to some $15,000, as best he could in 
after years. Mr. Reynolds held a number of of- 
fices in after years and was a leading Mason, In 
the narative furnished to the compilers of the his- 
tory of Rock Island county by J. B. Danforth, 
this man Reynolds is highly eulogised. From 
Danforth's account one would be led to suppose 
that he was one of the foremost men of the state. 
"Kindred spirits in enl are often wonderous kind 
to each other." In 1845 the Advertiser was estab- 
lished under the direction and management of 
Dr. Galchell. William Vandever was the leading 
editor for awhile, and continued his connection 
with the paper until the election of Gen. Taylor 
to the presidency in 1848. When he was appoint- 
to a clerkship in Washington and afterwards re- 
ceived a government appointment at Dubuque, 
Iowa. He was a General during the war of the 
rebelion and distinguished himself at the battle 
of Pea Ridge in Missouri, under Gen, Curtis. He 
was elected twice as Representative to Congress 
from the Dubuque district. A few years after the 
close of the war he moved to California. He was 
elected a Member of Congress from there. He w r as 
a genial wholesouled gentlemen, always made 
friends wherever he went. He died in California, 
his adopted state only a few 7 weeks ago, in 1893. 



289 

The Democrats were without any paper until 
from 1847 to 1857. Their paper was first called 
the Rock Island Republican until 1855 when the 
name was changed to the Rock Island Argus. 
The editor-in-chief was J. B. Danforth, a very 
able and talented writer, but very unscrupulous, 
a bitter partisan, always stirring up strife and 
breeding mischief. After a while, owing to some 
crooked work in financial matters in connection 
with the Argus and T. S. Drake, the business man- 
ager, he was ousted from his position. He then 
started the Rock Islander, a paper ostensibly de- 
voted to the interests of the laboring man, but 
used mostty in venting his bitter feelings against 
his former friends and stirring up strife between 
classes; justifying 'the anarchists of Chicago. 
Fortunately for the peace of this community he 
severed his connection w T ith the Rock Islander 
and took himself away to California, where I learn 
he has recently taken to himself a wife in his old 
age. 

The Argus has continued under the manage- 
ment of various parties in late years, H. C. Con- 
nelly, Robt. T. McNeal, J. S. Drake and others. 
At the present time the controlling interest is said 
to be owned by the Hon. Ben T. Cable, ex-mem- 
ber of congress and the leading politician of the 
state. Mr. Potter, our present efficient postmaster, 
is editor-in-chief. 

The Rock Island Union was started in 1862 by 



290 

J. A. Kuck. In 1863 he sold his interest to M. 
S. Barnes, who published a daily evening edition. 
The daily has been published up to the present 
time, but as a morning paper since 1866, at which 
time it became tne property of Capt. Havenstick, 
He was a vigorous, able writer. Some other par- 
ties became interested with him. M. D. Merill r 
Richard Crampton. and Oscar A. Bernhart all 
owned an interest in the paper at different times 
until 1874 when the Union Printing Company 
was organized with a capital stock of $20,000, 
L. M. Havenstick, president, Walter Johnson, 
secretary and treasurer. A number of others be- 
came interested afterward as stockholders and 
officers: H. C. Cleveland, J J. Parks, A. A. 
Morey, W. N. Burdett and G. W. Lukins. Wal- 
ter Johnson has recently been editor-in-chief and 
publishes a conservative, creditable newspaper. 



Early Days in Southern Wisconsin --Sketches 
of Some of the Early Pioneers. 

In the summer of 1893 I visited Madison, the 
capital of Wisconsin, one of the most beautiful 
cities of the North, located on a broad plateau, 
surrounded on three sides by the clear limped 
waters of the four lakes forming the headwaters 
of Rock river with it's stately capitol, and court 
house, occupying the center of a large square, in 
the center of the city, with its streets radiating 



291 

from each corner of the same, Madison may for 
its beauty and attractiveness be well called the 
Queen City of the Northwest. I was on my way 
to the Devils Lake, a famous place of summer re- 
sort. I spent a day or more there in seeing the 
sights. In the evening I was so fortunate as to 
hear Professor La Conte, the noted scientist, ad- 
dress the assembled scientists of the United States 
on "Mountain Building". During the following 
day I went through the various departments of 
the state under the guidance of one of the officers, 
a Platteville man, an old time acquaintance. A 
soldier of the famous 8th Wisconsin, who so long 
carried the old eagle perched on their regimental 
flag. I passed most of the time in the picture 
gallery where I found so many familiar faces that 
I had so often met either in a social or business 
way in olden times in Galena, between 1834 and 
1850. Seeing these faces, many of these dear de- 
parted friends called up vividly to my mind many 
reminiscences of the past, connected with their 
history. Some of these names and what little I 
knew of iheir career in the upbuilding and de- 
velopment of the state I will give. Henry Gra- 
tiot, whose daughter Adele, married the Hon. E. 
B. Washburn, settled at Gratiot's Grove near 
Shullsburg in 1826. The Winnebago Indians 
had opened the lead mines there and Henry Gra- 
tiot and his brother, J. P. B. Gratiot, induced the 
Indians to let them operate the mines by their 



292 

paying them a.n agreed rent for the same. They 
soon built, up quitea flourishing settlement among 
them, connected with the mining and smelting in- 
dustries. They paid large amounts of rent to the 
Indians. A few years after the government agent 
at Galena exacted from the Gratiot's the usual 
rent due the United States, and they payed it un- 
der protest. Some years later, E. B. Washburn 
presented a clainr against the United States for 
this rent unjustly paid for about $20,000, and it 
was allowed. Mrs. Henry Gratiot was one of the 
kindest and most motherly woman T ever knew. 
We used often to make up sleighing parties at 
Galena and go out there and have a dance. Mrs. 
Henry Gratiot was a sister of Chas. S. Hempstead, 
of Galena. In 1842, after the death of her hus- 
band, she moved into Galena and occupied rooms 
over my store. 

Henry Dodge, the first Territorial Governor, 
settled at Dodgeville in 1830. He received his ap- 
pointment uncTer the administration of General 
Jackson, through the influence of General G. Jones, 
the first territorial delegate from the Territory of 
Iowa and Wisconsin, I. P. Field was the first Sec- 
retary of State, in after years he went to New 
Orleans and became one of the foremost lawyers 
of the state. I met him after the close of the war 
at Devils Lake. He gave me a graphic description 
of the contest between Hays and Tilden for the 
vote of that state, going into the details of the 



293 

frauds practiced by the secessionists. Governor 
Dodge was the first Senator from the new state. 
Agustus C. Dodge son of Henry Dodge, I knew 
well, both at Galena and in after years at Burling- 
ton, Iowa. He was chosen Senator from Iowa 
and was appointed Minister to Spain. Father 
and son were both very dignified, honest men. 

General G. Jones settled at Sinsinawa Mound 
some eleven miles from Galena in 1828. He 
was Surveyor General, the first territorial 
delegate and afterwards Representative and Sena- 
tor from Iowa, appointed by Buchanan Minister to 
Bogotee, was recalled by Seward and sent to Fort 
La Fayette without any just cause. It all grew 
out of his giving a letter of introduction to his 
friend Jeff Davis, to his son, while Davis was 
Secretary of War under James Buchanan. I 
notice lately that the Republican Governor of 
Iowa recommends to the legislature that he be 
made the "Guest of the State," a just tribute to 
him in his old age for the many services he has 
rendered the state in the past. 

C. C. Washburn came to Rock Island in 1839, 
taught school here a few months and held the of- 
fice of county surveyor to fill a vacancy. He 
went to Mineral Point in 1841 and went into 
business there with Cyrus Woodman in banking 
and other business. They erected a shot tower 
at Helena, on the Wisconsin River. They utili- 
zed a high, rocky, perpendicular cliff for the pur- 



294 

pose. This was the first shot tower put in opera- 
tion north of St. Louis. It was this banking firm 
and the Corwiths, bankers in Galena, that made 
George Smith take back-water with his Atlanta, 
Georgia, money, which he attempted to make them 
use, but did not succeed. He was a Major Gen- 
eral in the War of the Rebellion. He had com- 
mand of the fleet that attempted to open the way 
to Vicksburg by the way of the deadly Yazzo. 

He was elected for five terms to Congress and 
twice as Governor of the State. He was a man of 
broad, liberal views and bequeathed large sums 
for literary and scientific purposes to the city and 
state of his adoption. 

Col. H. L. Dousemann came to Prairie du Chien 
in 1828 and was for a long time the manager of 
the vast trade of the American Fair Co. A man 
of great energy and business capacity. He was a 
pioneer in opening the Prairie du Chien and Mc- 
Gregor railroad, and after the road was built, he 
took a leading interest in the three beautiful steam- 
ers that were built by the Minnesota Packet Co., 
for this trade, the "Itaska,,' "Milwaukee" and 
"Minnesota." 

Col. W. S. Hamilton, son of Alexander Hamil- 
ton, came to the Lead Mines in 1830 and com- 
menced smelting and mining at Hamilton's Dig- 
gings, now called Wyota. He was a genial, whole- 
souled man, very much beloved ; becoming some- 
what embarassed in his mining operations, he. 



295 

went to California in 1857 and died there many 
years ago. His aged mother I saw in Galena in 
1845. 

Charles Bracken came to Shullsburg in 1828. 
He was a Government Surveyor and became in- 
terested in mining. He organized a company of 
Capitalists and bought William Hempstead's in- 
terest in the Shullsburg mines for $80,000, but 
the company failed after the first payment was 
made and the mines reverted back to Mr Hemp- 
stead. 

Jas. H. Lockwood came to Prairie du Chien in 
1819. He was an Indian trader for many years, 
and was County Judge in 1835. He owned a 
steamboat which he was loading at the wharf in 
St. Louis, when he applied to me to take a pos- 
ition with him as clerk. I had just returned from 
a visit to Philadelphia. Lacted in this capacity 
for one day, receiving the cargo, my first and last 
experience as a steamboat clerk. The firm of 
Petus and Morrison sent word to me that they 
wished to employ me and I turned my place over 
to a friend who proved to be a successful steam- 
boat man in after years. 

John P. Sheldon, a Pioneer of 1832, was Sup- 
erintendent of the Lead Mines in Iowa and lived 
at Peru, a little hamlet a few miles North of Du- 
Buque on the little Maquoketa. He afterwards 
moved to Willow Springs. He was appointed 
.Register of the land office and had a position in 



296 

one of the departments at Washington. I knew 
all the members of this interesting family well. 
His becond son John, clerked for me a few years. 
The mother, an estimable lady and his daughters, 
Mrs. Chas. Gratiot, Mrs. Judge Drummond and 
Mrs. Nellie Blakely, I knew and often met. 

I. S. Daniels, a talented young man, a lecturer 
on Geology and at one time State Geologist I think, 
I have often met at Galena and elsewhere. He 
was in command of a regiment who went through 
Northern Missouri in 1862, breaking up the roving 
bands of guerrillas that infested that section of 
the State. 

John H.Rountreeof Platteville, settled there in 
1827. He was a Captain in the Black Hawk war, 
a member of the Legislature, and County Judge, 
A man of wide influence in his section of the State, 
and was interested in hiining and smelting. 

James Morrison settled in Wisconsin in 1828. 
He was long engaged in the Rocky Mountains as 
a fur trader. He was State Treasurer of Wiscon- 
sin. He came into Galena at one time soon after 
the election of General Taylor. He had bet heav- 
ily on the vote of Louisiana, which was carried by 
the Democrats through the frauds in the Plucki- 
min district, which returned over the number of 
votes there were in the district, counting men, 

women and children. He said "d Plucki- 

min, It has plucked me," 

Ed. D. Holton settled in Milwaukee in 1840. 



LB N '06 



297 

He was one of her most enterprising citizens. He 
took a leading part in building the first railroad 
going out from Milwaukee to Waupon, as well as 
other roads. A delegation of Galenians went to 
Milwaukee in 1857, in the interest of the road to 
connect Milwaukee with Galena. He invited us 
to take a trip on the first opening of the road to 
Waupon. He was a New Hampshire acquaint- 
ance of my wife, and whenever he came to Ga- 
lena he was our guest. 

William E. Kramer was for many years editor 
and principal manager of The Wisconsin, I have 
often met him and used occasionaly to correspond 
with him in relation to our railroad connection 
w T ith Milwaukee, He was very deaf and used an 
ear trumpet. I last met him in 1866 at the Lin- 
dell house in St. Louis. He was the first one to 
my knowledge, who advocated the nomination of 
Gen. Grant for president. He kept up the con- 
versation on this subject until midnight. I think 
he is still living, but to his deafness has been ad- 
ded the further calamity of almost total blind- 
ness. 

Ben C. Eastman of Platteville, settled there 
in 1840, a bright talented lawyer. He was elect- 
ed a Member of Congress from his district for one 
term. I often met him in Galena. 

J. Allen Barber settled at Lancaster in 1836, a 
lawyer who took a leading part in the affairs of 
his section of the state. He was elected a Mem- 
ber of Congress, 



298 

Nelson Dewey settled at Cassville in 1866. He 
was the founder of that now ancient dilapidated 
town and in an early day erected a large fine 
hotel. He was elected the first Governor of the 
State. 

Moses Meeker one of the earliest pioneers 
of Galena came there in 1823 with the Harris 
family and with the Langworthy's of Dubuque, 
from western New York. He settled at Meekers 
Grove, a few miles north of Galena in Wisconsin. 
He was engaged in mining and smelting. All 
these names I have mentioned and many others 
whose name I have not mentioned, whose fami- 
iliar faces seemed to look down with kindness 
upon me, are nearly all dead. Dead, no! there is 
no death! They still live in the memory of those 
who survive them, and in that better and brighter 
state of existance, the common heritage of the 
race. 

Having brought mv reminiscences of the past 
up to the present time, the first of April 1894, I 
may as well suspend my literary labors for the 
present. Bringing back to my mind the past oc- 
currences of vanished years has helped to while 
away time during the last five months which I 
have employed in jotting down my recollections 
of the past 60 years of my life. This work has 
been mostly done without referring to any other 
source, except my memory and I have no doubt 
made some mistakes in dates. Some of the facts 



299 

of the early history of the state I have obtained 
from Ford's history of Illinois, some in relation to 
the Island from Col. Flagner's history of the same. 
I cannot close the imperfect hastily written 
sketch of past events better than in the words of 
one of America's greatest poets, J. G. Whittier, 
when he was about ready for his departure for the 
other side. 
When on my day of life, the night is falling, 

And. in the winds from unsaned spaces blown, 
I hear far voices ®ut of darkness calling 

My feet to paths unknown. 
Thou who hast made my home of life so pleasant, 

Leave not it's tenant when it's walls decay : 
O, Love Divine, 0, Helper ever present, 

Be Thou my Strength and Stay. 
Be near me when all else is from me drifting ; 

Earth, sky, homes' pictures, days of shade and 
shine, 
And kindly faces to my own uplifting 

The love which answers mine. 
I have but Thee, my Father; let Thy Spirit 

Be with me then to comfort and uphold ; 
No gate of pearl, no branch of palm I merit, 

Nor shining street of gold. 
Suffice it, if — my good and ill unreconed, 

And both forgiven through Thy abounding 
grace, 
I find myself by hands familiar, beckoned 

Unto* my fitting place. 



300 

Some humble door among Thy many mansions ; 

Some sheltering shade where sin and striving 
cease, 
And flows forever, heaven's green expansions, 

The river of Thy peace. 

There, from the music round about me stealing, 
I would fain learn the new, holy song, 

And find at last beneath Thy trees ol healing, 
The life for which I long. 



N 27 88 



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